


Casting Nets

by starofjems



Series: Learning to Fly [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (And one very irresponsible adult), Blue Spirit Zuko (Avatar), Conspiracy Theories, Festivals, Fire Nation Propaganda, Gen, POV Outsider, POV Zuko (Avatar), Responsible Adults Take Care of This Literal Child, Spirit Dreams, Worldbuilding, Zhao (Avatar) Is An Asshole, Zuko is 13 and treated like the child he is, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko's Crew Cares, disguises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:49:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25587784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starofjems/pseuds/starofjems
Summary: " Zhao did not let them pass. He moved to block Prince Zuko with a discomforting glint in his eyes as he stared down at the small boy. “Oh, but I believe you’ll want to hear why I sought you out, Prince Zuko. I have information on a possible Avatar sighting, unless where you’re headed is of more importance.”Prince Zuko took a step back from the towering man and squinted up at him. “If you have legitimate information, then nothing is of higher importance.”The broad grin Zhao gave the prince spelled nothing but trouble. "Zuko searches for leads on the Avatar outside the Air Temples. He learns more about the world, himself, and efficient methods of gathering information.
Relationships: Zuko & Zuko's Crew (Avatar)
Series: Learning to Fly [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1791460
Comments: 310
Kudos: 679





	1. Buoyancy

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, welcome back and welcome to A Wide Assortment of Topics the fic lmao we're gonna be bouncing around from Zuko to more of the crew for some fun hijinks and some difficult lessons, leading up to the next Big Thing
> 
> Thank you as always to Jana <333

Wind whipped through Zuko's hair as his companion raced between icebergs. Icy water stretched out beneath them and past the horizon. The landscape was barren and dangerous, but beautiful in its frozen vastness. His companion laughed as a large wave crashed into the towering ice. She darted down to fly them through the spray of water.

"Stop it!" Zuko yelled, even as he laughed with her. The cold of the droplets did not touch him. "What are we even _doing_ here?"

His companion twirled through the air, but her gentle winds kept Zuko firmly seated on her back. They shared an elated cheer as the world spun around them in a swirl of whites and blues. She landed on the tip of an iceberg so they could look out at the sprawling splendor.

_Freedom is lost, Zuko. We need to find it._

The warmth of the morning sun pulled Zuko from the icy embrace of the frozen dreamscape. He desperately tried to cling to the memory, but it slipped through his thoughts till all he could remember was the exhilarating spiral of white and blue. Zuko squeezed his shut eyes and wished for his dreams to return. They never did.

With a sigh, Zuko greeted the morning. The sun streaming in through his window was particularly bright, making him wince and pull his blanket over his head. Even filtered through fabric, the light made his head ache. What a pleasant way to wake up.

Zuko groaned as he rolled out of his bed, eyes defiantly shut as he started his morning stretches. As he moved on from those to his basic warm-up kata, the headache had abated enough he could face the bright morning, but Zuko continued his routine blind. His steps were sure even without his sight, a skill Zuko intended to continue to hone.

A final high kick brought Zuko's warm-up to a close. He released the tension in his muscles with a deep exhale, then finally opened his eyes. It was still uncomfortably bright, but his head did not protest with sharp pain again. His stomach grumbled, but Zuko's morning routine was not finished yet. He went to his bed and untangled his egg from the blankets.

Its glowing warmth seeped through his arms and draped over his body in greeting. There was no fighting his smile as Zuko sat in the patch of sunlight on the floor. It was only after Zuko returned from the Eastern Air Stronghold and fell into a deep slumber the moment he laid to rest with his egg in his hold that he realized how accustomed he'd grown to its presence. Zuko hoped that whatever hatched would love him as much as he already loved it.

Zuko crossed his legs and settled his hands, holding the egg in his lap. He breathed deeply, chasing out the lingering adrenaline of his workout. Only once his breathing evened to a natural, deep pattern and his body was at peace did Zuko reach for his inner flame. Outside of this room, away from his egg, Zuko's inner flame frustratingly danced out of reach when he called for it. Here, it was as easy as maintaining his breath.

Small flames flickered to life in his open palms around the egg. Zuko closed his eyes once more to focus on the feel of the fire. It was his to control and would not hurt him. His egg needed the fire more than Zuko feared it, and that need fought off the cold trickle of terror that made his inner fire wane whenever he tried to call it.

Time escaped Zuko as it often did as he meditated. A soft knock drew him from the peaceful white noise of his mind, and Seaman Shen's voice called through the door, "Sir, breakfast will be up in General Iroh's room shortly."

As usual, the sound of retreating footsteps echoed down the hall before Zuko could form a response. He opened his eyes to watch the swell of flames as he breathed. The iridescence of the egg's shell sent beautiful flickers of gold, green, and purple through the fire. It seemed brighter than usual, just like the sunlight filling the room.

Zuko froze. His fire sputtered out as he lost his concentration. Everything _was_ brighter than usual. Instead of darkness shrouding his peripheral vision, there was _light_. Zuko's breath caught in his throat as he raised his left hand toward his face. He saw the movement. It was an undefined blob of color, but he could see.

The threat of tears bubbled up from his tight chest. Koji had little hope for Zuko's left eye. It had been months since Zuko was burned, but his eye remained stubbornly closed. Until now. Zuko of the past would have despaired at the fuzzy, undefined world of light and color to his left. Now, Zuko fought back tears out of relief. He spent so long with half of his world shrouded in darkness, he almost forgot what it was like to see _anything_ from his left side.

Zuko curled around his egg and let out a watery laugh. Regaining part of his vision would likely put his balance off-kilter again, and set him back in his training, but Zuko welcomed the struggle. He pressed the unmarred skin of his face against the warmth of his egg. Maybe it wasn't a mistake to keep hold of some hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter is a bit of a short one, so I'll post the next tomorrow! But after that... maybe every other day? We'll see what happens bc I'm definitely not done with this installment yet oops theres no more backlog buffer pray for me


	2. Leadline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zhao warning? Yeah, Zhao warning. What a tit.
> 
> <33 to Jana

When Prince Zuko returned from the Eastern Air Stronghold, the crew was shocked not to receive immediate orders to set course for the Southern Air Island. Whispers and rumors grew as the prince directed the _Sazanami_ from port to port at an almost leisurely pace. It certainly seemed like a strange choice for a boy that had frantically checked their progress to the Eastern Air Island and had barely relented to making port first.

Koji was curious as well, but rather than speculate in the mess hall, he simply _asked_ Prince Zuko after the second town they stopped at. The prince stared at him, bewildered as if the answer should have been obvious.

"The airbenders didn't keep many scrolls or proper records. Rushing off to the Southern Stronghold would be a waste of time. With my current knowledge, I'm not going to learn anything I didn't in the other strongholds. So I want to find out what the rest of the world thinks they know."

Prince Zuko's confidence wavered as he dropped his gaze to his medical text. "But so far I haven't learned anything useful. It's been a century since anyone's seen an Avatar, and it wasn't even the new one. This is probably a waste of time too."

This whole endeavor was a waste of time, but Koji was not about to tackle _that_ issue. He pitied General Iroh when that conversation needed to be had. Now though, even if he could not reassure Prince Zuko about his Avatar search, he could be of _some_ help.

"There's no reason you can't expand your knowledge in other areas while we're in town. If you would like, Sir, we could see what our next stop has to offer in terms of our medical lessons."

Just as Koji hoped it would, the suggestion brought a hesitant smile out of Prince Zuko. What had started as lessons on mixing Hira'a medicinal specialties had quickly turned into a full medical education. The prince was an eager student and practically _glowed_ whenever Koji praised his progress.

So when the _Sazanami_ made port, it was Koji who accompanied Prince Zuko off the ship. General Iroh saw them off with instructions for the prince to keep Koji out of trouble. The silent exchange between Koji and General Iroh went over Prince Zuko's head as he adamantly declared, "Of _course_ I'll keep a non-combatant member of the crew out of trouble!"

It was certainly a show of trust--to act as Prince Zuko's guardian in place of his uncle--that General Iroh would grant to few others on the _Sazanami_. It was sweet, but unnecessary for General Iroh to be so worried about his nephew going off without him. What was the worst that could happen in a Fire Nation occupied town?

As the day progressed, Koji thought perhaps there was some merit to Prince Zuko's pessimistic opinion that if something could go wrong, it would.

Nothing went amiss in the apothecary, and the old woman running the shop pointed them in the direction of the local gossips. The plan was to inquire after Avatar rumors, then venture into the surrounding wildlife for a botany lesson. They were nearing the town's tavern when things went awry.

"Prince Zuko! My men said we might cross paths soon, but I didn't expect to find you wandering a backwater town like this!"

Koji knew that voice. He had thought he was free from ever having to hear that _damned_ man speak ever again. Why was Lieutenant Zhao of all people here? How did Prince Zuko even know him-

Oh. Judging by the hint of panic Prince Zuko was trying to conceal, he _didn't_ know Zhao.

This was going to go well.

"Commander Genkei said you intended to investigate each of the Air Strongholds, have you abandoned that endeavor already?"

To Prince Zuko's credit, he was quite good at masking his emotions for a temperamental young teenager. For anyone that got to know the young prince, however, it was easy to see through his scowls and diplomatic blank stares. Koji saw the twitch in Prince Zuko's good eye, and the exact moment the prince decided he was not going to play nice.

Hopefully General Iroh would forgive Koji, because he was not about to discourage the prince from doing so.

"I'm afraid information pertaining to my search is classified to my ship and higher ranking naval officers," Prince Zuko said with a forced smile. "And forgive me for not recalling our first meeting, but I have no idea who you are. You could be an Earth Kingdom spy for all I know."

Zhao was not quick enough to cover his widened eyes and slack jaw, nor the immediate sneer that followed. It took all of Koji's willpower to contain his laughter. The only way Prince Zuko could have hit Zhao's inflated ego more was if he had outright called him insignificant.

The following smile plastered on Zhao's face was one usually accompanied by words like 'a better soldier would have been able to dodge' and 'taking out the enemy is more important, wouldn't you say?' It made Koji want to smother this insufferable blight to humankind.

"My apologies, Prince Zuko. I suppose I shouldn't have made assumptions. I am Captain Zhao, the safety of these waters and residing towns is under my command." Zhao bowed the proper depth for a prince, even a banished one, but it was as quick as one could without being blatantly disrespectful.

"Commander Genkei was under the impression you would be up to date with the key players of the seas you're traveling, but he had not witnessed your Agni Kai. I'm quite shocked you're as mobile as you are, there's no shame in lacking important military knowledge when most of your energy must be going toward healing. Although, perhaps more military knowledge would have helped you avoid disrespecting the war council."

"Well, aren't I lucky you're not a general and so understanding of my circumstances, aren't I Captain Zhao? " Prince Zuko said through gritted teeth. Heat radiated off the boy, strong enough Koji could feel it from beside him. "I actually was aware of your position in this sea, _Captain Zhao_ , however reports fail to include portraits to attach a face to a name. I'm sure you understand that you have a slight advantage in recognizing me despite this being our first introduction, me being a public figure and all."

Before Zhao could formulate a response, Prince Zuko turned toward Koji with a strained, but more genuine smile. "And I healed rather fast thanks to the _Sazanami's_ superior medical expertise. I assure you little of my energy is directed toward recovery these days."

As Zhao turned his attention from the prince to Koji, every hope Koji had at going unnoticed went out the window. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Koji, then recognition lit his face with a sly grin. Zhao laughed and Prince Zuko instantly tensed, shifting the slightest bit as if his small stature could hide Koji behind him.

"Is this truly all the Fire Nation could spare for you? A traitor as your medic? Keep your eyes on this one, Prince Zuko, else he'll run off to waste your resources on the enemy."

Prince Zuko started to step forward, which meant it was time for Koji to uphold his unspoken promise to the general. Taunting Zhao wasn't the best way to keep the prince out of trouble, but it was better than allowing Prince Zuko to incite a fight in Koji's defense.

"Funny, seeing as the official investigation corroborated with me when I claimed to never use army supplies while providing humanitarian support to wounded civilians. Why, if I remember correctly, didn't the investigation uncover that _your_ unit was the largest drain of medical supplies in the division due to flagrant disregard for fellow soldiers while firebending?"

The street was suspiciously void of activity for the time of day. A shutter slammed shut somewhere, the noise amplified by the thick silence following Koji's words. Prince Zuko's brow scrunched, then his eyes widened in horrified shock. As Zhao's temper simmered and his fists clenched at his side, the prince's innocent and morally sound reaction only made things worse.

"You had _Fire Nation_ soldiers getting burnt by firebenders?" He asked in complete disbelief. "You should have immediately withdrawn any benders careless enough to do that and put them back in basic firebending instruction! To injure your allies while fighting is an obvious lack of control!"

Zhao sneered, small sparks falling from his hands as he flexed them. "As someone who's never stood on a battlefield, and was incapable of standing your ground even in a controlled environment, do be careful of your naive opinions, Prince Zuko. There's always casualties in a war, and sometimes inferior soldiers need to be sacrificed to guarantee a victory."

This was very close to getting out of hand. Koji desperately wished General Iroh was here to defuse the situation. Prince Zuko was seconds from doing something incredibly stupid.

"Prince Zuko, perhaps we should wrap up our pleasantries and head to the tavern before your leads head elsewhere," Koji said, desperate for the prince to take the out he provided.

Thankfully, Prince Zuko was as done with Zhao as Koji was. He stiffly nodded to Zhao, not bothering with a bow. "Medic Koji is right, we must get going. Pleasure meeting you, Captain Zhao."

Zhao did not let them pass. He moved to block Prince Zuko with a discomforting glint in his eyes as he stared down at the small boy. "Oh, but I believe you'll want to hear why I sought you out, Prince Zuko. I have information on a possible Avatar sighting, unless where you're headed is of more importance."

Koji's stomach dropped as Prince Zuko froze. The prince took a step back from the towering man and squinted up at him. "If you have legitimate information, then nothing is of higher importance."

The broad grin Zhao gave the prince spelled nothing but trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh whatever could this lead be? We'll find out on saturday!
> 
> in the meantime feel free to hmu on tumblr @redriot or twitter @starofjems ~~~


	3. Blind Cast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jana is a blessing <3

Fire Nation warships were an engineering marvel, that was a fact no one was allowed to forget. From school teachers to naval officers, everyone praised the superior technological innovations of the Fire Nation. No one ever mentioned how warships were constantly being improved upon and redesigned. The current model of ships was certainly everything and more one could say about warships. The _Sazanami_ was at least 30 years old, if not _older_ , and perhaps it was an engineering marvel that it still ran as efficiently as it did.  
  
One outdated flaw was exacerbated by the volume of which the _Sazanami's_ resident royal could reach. Newer ships had done something to deal with noise pollution, but the metal halls of the _Sazanami_ amplified and carried everything from a sneeze to Prince Zuko's latest outburst.  
  
While the actual words weren't intelligible from Nari's post, she had a solid guess as to what the prince was yelling about--the same thing he'd been yelling about for the past week, the supposed 'lead' Captain Zhao gave him. It sounded like nothing more than an exaggerated joke turned rumor by gossiping traders and fishermen. Prince Zuko wanted to hear nothing of it. He was determined to check it out and General Iroh's suggested alternatives to boldly walking into the village of said rumor were met with loud, stubborn objections.  
  
Today's tantrum was louder and was lasting longer than others, understandable seeing as they set anchor at the nearest dock to the village in question last night. Everyone judiciously decided to steer clear of Prince Zuko this morning and let General Iroh handle any and all decision making. As the final ringing echoes of Prince Zuko's voice faded, Nari concluded that a decision of sorts had been made.  
  
Nari really hoped the general had managed to dissuade Prince Zuko from heading straight into the inland town. She may have begun planning out a new training schedule as means of hiding in her office, but now that she had started she'd rather finish it than have to trek out on a pointless endeavor. The warm weight against her legs possibly played a part in her opinion, but no one needed to know of it.  
  
Footsteps echoed down the hall and shattered any hope Nari had for staying put. She sighed heavily and started organizing her papers. It seemed General Iroh had not been successful.   
  
"Ensign Nari!" Prince Zuko exclaimed, throwing the door open. His confident entrance was instantly undermined as the door almost slammed into the wall, and he scrambled to prevent it from doing so. Pink filled his cheek and the tip of his ear as Prince Zuko gently closed the door behind him. "I- Uh- I require a small team and komodo rhinos ready within the hour to head inland. This will be a reconnaissance mission _only_ , and we will not be combative unless maliciously attacked. I trust you to pick the best soldiers suited for-"  
  
From a sneeze to Prince Zuko's voice, the metal walls of the _Sazanami_ carried everything. The shameless snoring of a slacking seaman was not exempt and Prince Zuko faltered as a loud snore bounced around them. His brow furrowed as he stared at Nari, as if she for some reason interrupted him. Nari stared back at the prince, not about to offer an explanation. She also was not about to stop him as he rounded her desk to look under it for the source of the noise.  
  
Curled up between the desk and Nari's legs, Seaman Bun Ma peacefully slumbered. As she wasn't Bun Ma's direct commanding officer—and she could not stand the head of the deck department—Nari felt no obligation to scold Bun Ma for taking advantage of their friendship to nap in her office. However, despite their shared distaste for Bun Ma's direct commanding officer, Nari also felt no obligation to hide or defend Bun Ma avoiding her work.   
  
"Ensign Nari," Prince Zuko said in an even, controlled tone.  
  
"Yes, Prince Zuko?"  
  
"What is Seaman Bun Ma doing under your desk?"  
  
Nari leaned back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap. Her legs shifted with the movement, which made Bun Ma twitch and reposition. "She appears to be sleeping, sir."  
  
" _Why_ is she sleeping under your desk, Ensign Nari?" Prince Zuko asked, his good eye twitching as he restrained himself.  
  
If it was treasonous to mess with a royal, well, Nari would defend the prince shouldn't make it so entertaining. She shrugged. "My guess would be she's tired, sir."  
  
Prince Zuko stared at her. The muscles in his jaw spasmed, the only indication of how tightly he was clenching his teeth. He breathed deeply in through his nose, then exhaled through his mouth. None of the tension in his shoulders released. It was a valiant attempt to control himself, and Nari almost felt guilty for being the cause if not for how amused she was.  
  
When Nari provided no further explanation, Prince Zuko looked to the ceiling as if it could help. He took another deep breath, and held it as he dropped into a crouch. The following shout was so loud, it made Nari jump back, and she had _expected_ _it_.  
  
Bun Ma hardly flinched at the sound of her name at a volume only Prince Zuko could achieve. She groaned and turned her face into Nari's shin. Rather than risk her ear drums to Prince Zuko's attempts at waking Bun Ma, Nari shook her leg and pulled away. Bun Ma caught herself from falling with a hand on the ground. Her head rolled onto her shoulder, and she yawned right in Prince Zuko's face, not even opening her eyes as she spoke.   
  
"Hey Prince Zuko, need something?"  
  
Nari choked on a laugh as the prince visibly bristled. His mouth opened and closed several times before his shoulders slumped, and he sighed. Prince Zuko pushed off his knees as he stood, and brushed his legs off with forced casualness.   
  
"Seaman Bun Ma, you're just the person I was looking for, actually. You're to report to the cargo hold within the hour. Ensign Nari will be your commanding officer for our expedition inland."  
  
The way Bun Ma immediately sat upright, eyes wide in a panic was almost as amusing as Prince Zuko's ire. "Wait, what? Sir, I'm in the middle of my shift. I don't think Petty Officer Takehiko would be happy if you pulled me out into the field under Ensign Nari without his approval."  
  
Prince Zuko stared down at her.  
  
Bun Ma stared up at him.  
  
"Did Petty Officer Takehiko approve of you taking a _nap_ under Ensign Nari's desk?"  
  
A slow, lazy grin spread across Bun Ma's face as she relaxed against the side of the desk. "Well, you got me there, sir. See you in the hour, Princey."  
  
Once again Prince Zuko bristled, and Nari bit back a laugh. It was truly a testament to how strange a breed of noble Prince Zuko was that he did not reprimand Bun Ma for the disrespectful title. He squinted at her, as if she was a difficult move in a pai sho game, then disregarded her completely as he turned to Nari.  
  
"That's one. I want at least two others including yourself. My uncle is _not_ accompanying us despite anything he might say." He gave Nari a quick bow, Bun Ma one last scrutinizing look, then left the office.  
  
Nari hunched over her desk the second the door shut, shaking with silent laughter. No one would ever believe her if she tried to tell them how _precious_ the Fire Nation's banished crown prince was. She sat back in her chair once her giggles passed, only to see Bun Man curling up against the desk in an attempt to resume her nap.  
  
"Oh no you don't," Nari snapped, hauling a whining Bun Ma upright. "You're getting the komodos rhinos ready while I gather the rest of our unit."   
  
"Can't I get Ju Long to do-"  
  
Nari pushed the slovenly woman toward the door. "Absolutely not. You're going to do your own work while under my command."  
  
"Ugh, I'm so glad you're not my usual commanding officer," Bun Ma groaned as she dragged her feet out of the room.  
  
"Me too," Nari mumbled with a snort. Now she needed to find two more soldiers that fit the prince's requirements and wouldn't clash with the enigma that was Bun Ma.  
  
  
  
  
Komodo rhinos were an awful means of travel. They were too broad to straddle like most other mounted animals, so riders had to awkwardly sit with their legs splayed out almost parallel with the ground. Worst of all, komodo rhinos' lumbering gait made it _impossible_ to sleep while riding. Bun Ma wished she could doze off and escape the soon to be mess of a situation.   
  
Bun Ma would be the first to say she was not a good soldier. She enlisted in the navy with the sole intention of not being a good soldier. Honestly, was there any other job perfect for avoiding doing work than being one of dozens in charge of... whatever the deck crew did on a ship. Granted, it was a lot easier to escape notice on a ship way larger than the _Sazanami_ , and to be fair Bun Ma's slacking hadn't escaped notice, which got her on the _Sazanami_ to begin with...   
  
If anything, slacking was easier now that she was reassigned as 'punishment' to Prince Zuko's ship. All she had to do was bully Ju Long into doing the important things she was tasked with. Plus, Prince Zuko never hinted at wanting to use corporal punishment. She _thought_ that the deal was even sweeter since searching for the Avatar wouldn't put them in combative situations, but that had clearly been a mistake on her part.  
  
A bad soldier Bun Ma may be, but she wasn't _stupid_. Riding into a small, inland town on the fringes of Fire Nation occupied land with a mounted unit of soldiers was asking for trouble. Even in the _colonies_ , people would react negatively to such an arrival unannounced. There was no way the Prince's reconnaissance mission was going to end peacefully. Spirits, fighting was so much effort!  
  
Everyone was aware of the high potential for disaster except for the prince. The remaining two soldiers Nari pulled for this expedition reflected how poorly she thought this would go. Seaman Shun was a firebender from the engine room, which meant he wasn't great at fighting, but had the perfect temperament and skill to diffuse an upset firebending prince. Petty Officer Kazue was one of Nari's from the weapons department and would not stand for any harm coming to civilians. Before they left, Nari had emphasized they should keep their cool no matter how incited the villagers may get.   
  
Bun Ma wished General Iroh had managed to change the prince's mind. Instead, he failed miserably _and_ enraged Prince Zuko enough that he banned his uncle from accompanying them. Nari was clearly stressed with the responsibility of keeping Prince Zuko safe, so stressed that she had yet to notice that the general was following them despite Prince Zuko's ban. While Bun Ma would have liked to relieve some of her friend's burden, she was not about to underestimate the prince's superior hearing.   
  
At least if push came to shove, General Iroh would be able to swoop in and save the day before Bun Ma had to engage in combat.  
  
As their entourage neared the small town, fields sprung up, and they passed several groups of farmers taking their midday break. The farmers stared at them suspiciously but did not try to stop them. A young boy took off at a sprint from one of the groups, which Nari pointed out to the rest of them with a small nod. The villagers not in the fields were gathered in the town center, waiting for them as they approached.  
  
If the prince found it odd a crowd met their unannounced group, he showed no signs of it. He sat tall astride his komodo rhino and called out to the villagers, "Who's in charge around here?"  
  
An elderly woman stepped to the front, leaning heavily on a cane. "We paid our taxes just last week, what business do Fire Nation soldiers have with us?"  
  
These people did not see the thirteen-year-old boy under the full armor. Maybe things would play out differently if Prince Zuko's burn was still too sensitive for a helmet, but such was not the case. The helmet hid the youthful roundness in Prince Zuko's face. They could not see how _small_ the prince was while he was atop his mount. His raspy, demanding voice was threatening, not amusing. These people were afraid of Prince Zuko, and little would dissuade them from such fear.  
  
"I'm following rumors about someone claiming to be the Avatar in these parts," Prince Zuko said, trying his best to sound authoritative. "I request you divulge any information you have on the matter."  
  
The woman's expression hardened as she pressed her lips together. People in the crowd shifted anxiously. A young man near the edge of the square looked behind him, toward one of the houses. He turned around and met Bun Ma's gaze. Color drained from his face, but before he could panic, Bun Ma opened her mouth in a wide yawn. The fake yawn, naturally, turned into another, real yawn. As she smacked her lips and blinked through the bleariness in her vision, the man had already written her off as nonthreatening.  
  
Seemed to Bun Ma like there was something interesting in that house over there. All eyes were on Prince Zuko as he started to grow frustrated with the resounding silence to his demands. Bun Ma slid off her komodo rhino, partially hidden in her position behind the rest of the party squished in a small street. No one noticed her, except for General Iroh as she worked her way around the small town. Bun Ma gave him a cheery wave and put a finger to her lips. The general gave her a look similar to the one Prince Zuko usually gave her. Huh, must run in the family.  
  
Thankfully, everyone was gathered in the town center and there wasn't a soul to spot Bun Ma as she slipped into the house the man had been staring at. Prince Zuko was starting to get to the yelling stage of frustration, so Bun Ma did not blame people in the least for not noticing her. Even the kid hunkered down near the window, trying to sneakily peek out to watch the spectacle outside was too distracted by the prince to realize he had company.   
  
Bun Ma pulled her helmet off, then sunk down to the ground next to the kid with a lengthy yawn. The kid yelped just as Prince Zuko started shouting about answering simple questions, and no one heard the kid over that. Bad luck for him if Bun Ma had meant ill will, but good luck for Bun Ma because she wanted to resolve this whole mess so she could go back to her nap.   
  
"Don't worry, I come in peace," Bun Ma said, trailing off with another yawn.   
  
The kid couldn't have been older than eight and had no idea how to react to a Fire Nation soldier plopping down next to him in his hiding spot. He stared at her, mouth agape, for a solid moment, before he scrunched his little face in an impressive glare.   
  
"Don't you dare tell them I'm here!" The boy hissed. He threateningly raised his fist, and dirt gathered around it. "I'll stop you before you can even try!"  
  
Ah, that was the situation. Bun Ma snorted and dropped her head back against the wall, the picture of nonchalance. "I won't say anything, Mr. Earthbender. But you might want to. The shouty kid out there heard rumors about the Avatar being here and won't leave till he finds 'em. Let me guess, there's no Avatar, but there is a boy who's been bragging a bit too much about his bending."  
  
Red filled the kids cheeks as he lowered his fist. "I didn't mean nothing by it. It's just, the Avatar has been gone so long surely they gotta be dead, right? So it's not _that_ far off _I_ could be the Avatar and then take down Fire Nation scum and then we don't gotta pay no more taxes and-" He squeaked and covered his mouth with both hands. Through his fingers, he whined. "I don't mean nothing by that miss soldier lady! Fire Nation ain't scum, and I'm not thinking no rebel'us thoughts or nothing! Nope! Not me!"  
  
The town folks' raised voices started competing with the prince's. Bun Ma didn't have to glance outside to know things were starting to escalate.   
  
"How about I make you a deal? I didn't hear anything, and you go out there and tell the shouty kid you were talking big. He seems scary, but I promise he's just a kid a couple of years older than you. He might huff and puff, but he'll eventually listen and leave your town."  
  
The kid had a good head on his shoulders, for he narrowed his eyes at her and didn't immediately agree. "My brother said you people take earthbenders and put 'em in the middle of the ocean where they can't bend no more. How do I know you're not just gonna take me away if I tell all of them I'm an earthbender?"  
  
Bun Ma shrugged. "Well, you don't know, do you? Just gotta trust me when I say we don't care that you're an earthbender." From the way the kid continued to glare, Bun Ma knew her word alone wasn't going to convince him to end this the easy way. She chewed her lip and shut her eyes as she thought. Oh closing her eyes was a bad idea, the pull of sleep was so tempting...  
  
"Hey!" The kid hissed as a lump of dirt collided with Bun Ma's temple and burst.   
  
Oops, she must have dozed off there. But that gave her an idea. Bun Ma shook her head to loosen any dirt before she opened her eyes and gave the boy a grin. "Will you do as I ask if I promise to back you up for one cheap shot at one of the soldiers?"  
  
The kid's eyes lit up with the promise of at least hearing her out. "I'm listening..."  
  
  
  
  
These villagers were _infuriating_. All they had to do was tell Zuko if someone was claiming to be the Avatar around here or not. Zuko highly doubted the _actual_ Avatar was hiding in some backwater farming town occupied by the Fire Nation, but he definitely needed to make sure before he could leave. If he let this go and then the Avatar actually was here... well, Zuko would be walking away from his destiny, his honor, his only way of going _home_.  
  
"Well, then your sources are wrong!" One of the villagers shouted back at Zuko.   
  
Zuko clenched his fists around the reins of his komodo rhino. Why were they being so spirits' damned stubborn? "My sources are multiple people of varying backgrounds that _all_ say they've heard about someone claiming to be the Avatar in _this_ town! They can't all be wrong!"  
  
Some farmers had started trickling back into town, and they kept their farming tools on hand. Zuko did not want this to turn into a fight, but the villagers wouldn't give him a straight answer.  
  
"I don't care if someone's been spreading lies, just tell me who and I'll leave!"  
  
A farmer stepped forward with a sneer. "We'll tell ya who, and you'll cart them off to some prison for pissing you off. We'd take our chances with the Face-Stealer before we'd tell you anything, even if there was something to tell!"  
  
"Prince Zuko," Ensign Nari said in a low voice. "Perhaps a different approach-"  
  
"I don't need a different approach! Why do I have to keep repeating myself!" Zuko threw his hands in the air, and the crowd tensed. "I'm not taking anyone from this village unless they're the Avatar, and if the Avatar were here surely they would have tried to fight me by now. So just tell me _why_ there're rumors about the Avatar and I'll _leave_!"  
  
Zuko's speech was met by a stony silence. How were these people so stubbornly unreasonable that they couldn't comprehend simple logic? He groaned, but Ensign Nari cut him off.  
  
"If it would assure you of our word, we could return to our ship with a representative to explain the rumors and to see us off. We truly hold no intention of-"  
  
"That's absolutely stupid! There's no reason we should have to-"  
  
Right then, a projectile sailed over the crowd and collided into Ensign Nari's helmet in a cloud of dust. Seaman Shun and Petty Officer Kazue shouted as Ensign Nari bent over from the force of the impact. Zuko summoned flames to his palms, ready for combat when Seaman Bun Ma's cheerful voice called over the rising panic.  
  
"Bullseye! Nice shot, kid!"  
  
Seaman Bun Ma was not on her komodo rhino at the rear of the unit. She was inexplicably behind the gathered villagers, helmet hooked under her arm as she high-fived the child she crouched next to. The boy looked anxious but pleased with himself.  
  
"Chul!" A man exclaimed as ran forward to pull the boy away from a relaxed Bun Ma. "What do you think you're _doing_?"  
  
"Stand down," Ensign Nari grumbled to the still tense soldiers as she sat upright, pulling her helmet off to shake away the dirt. "Seaman Bun Ma, for some reason, seems to have encouraged that attack."  
  
Zuko looked down at his hands and startled at the sight of flames. They instantly sputtered out, but he had summoned them without thinking about it! That was the first time away from his egg that his fire came so easily and- Now was not the time to get excited over his firebending.   
  
"Seaman Bun Ma," he barked, pleased that she stood at attention in response. "Care to _explain_?"  
  
Seaman Bun Ma's posture was infuriatingly relaxed as she popped her hip to lean against her helmet. "Ah, you see, made a deal. Gonna pay up, kid?"  
  
The boy, Chul, stepped away from the man trying to hold him back and defiantly approached Zuko's komodo rhino. "The soldier lady said if I fess up, you'll go away and leave us alone. So I'm fessin' up! I'm a real good earthbender and was claimin' I could be the Avatar if I wanted to be. But I can't bend nothing but earth and I was just talkin' shit to impress my friends in town."  
  
For some reason, the villagers seemed even more prepared to fight than earlier. Zuko frowned but trusted Ensign Nari to keep a handle on the situation. He focused on Chul and crossed his arms. "How do I know you're not lying now and you actually are the Avatar?"  
  
Chul threw his hands up and a wall of earth surrounded him. "Look! Earth!" He dropped the wall, then stomped over to the fountain bubbling in the middle of the square. After flailing his arms about to no avail, Chul spun around to face Zuko again with his hands on his hips. "And no water! Want me to try air and fire to prove I can't do it?"  
  
Zuko sighed. No matter how much he _wanted_ this rude earthbender to be the Avatar, all logic pointed toward Chul's current claim to be the truth. There hadn't ever been any rumors of a waterbender Avatar, which would have had to come before an earthbender Avatar. Kids loved making up stories, and this kid seemed to have a decent grasp of his bending at a young age. Of course he would talk himself up to his friends.  
  
"No, I believe you." Zuko glared at the rest of the crowd. "See! That's all I wanted! I can't believe a _child_ was more reasonable than all you fools. Seaman Bun Ma, get back on your komodo rhino! We're leaving, _like I said_."  
  
The crowd tittered and stared at him with distrust as he turned his komodo rhino around to lead the way out of town. Absolutely ridiculous. If everyone in the Earth Kingdom was as stubborn and stupid as these people, no wonder it was taking so long for them to accept Fire Nation rule! Zuko knew this rumor had a high probability of being a waste of time, but these dumb villagers wasted more of it than they had to!  
  
Not helping his sour mood was the sight of Uncle, waiting for the reconnaissance party at the edge of town. Great, just great. Now Uncle witnessed that mess first hand and had plenty of fuel for disapproving stares and 'I told you so's.   
  
"Go ahead!" Zuko said as he ripped his helmet off his head. It was getting stifling with the midday sun beating down on him, and it was starting to aggravate his scar. "Get it all out about how I should have listened to you, how I was totally wrong like I always am!"  
  
Uncle had to go with the most infuriating option and do _neither_. Instead, he pulled Zuko's sunhat out from his sleeves and wordlessly held it out for him. Of course Uncle had the gall to be right and _considerate_. Zuko scowled and snatched the hat as he urged his komodo rhino past Uncle. Stupid helmet. Stupid scar. Stupid lying earthbenders.  
  
"All things considered, Prince Zuko, that went better than I feared," Uncle finally said after they passed the village's fields. "You could have tempered your frustrations better, but I applaud your restraint nonetheless."   
  
What restraint? Zuko had immediately lost his cool the second the villagers started refusing him. If it hadn't been for Seaman Bun Ma-  
  
"Seaman Bun Ma!" Zuko exclaimed, whirling around in his saddle toward the woman at the back of the procession. "Get up here right now and explain what you did to make that kid come out and confess!"  
  
Seaman Bun Ma had yet to put her helmet back on, so her blasé smile was clear for all to see as she guided her mount next to his, as was the wink she sent Ensign Nari as she passed her. Although Ensign Nari's helmet shielded her expression, her annoyance came off her stiff posture in waves.   
  
"Well, ya see, Princey, I really didn't want to have to fight. And I figured they were covering for someone or else they wouldn't have been so defensive." She dropped her reins, trusting her komodo rhino to keep pace with Zuko's and placed her hands behind her saddle to lean back. "Got lucky and found the kid. Made a deal with him that he got to pelt Nari with some dirt, if he fessed up to ya. Worked like a breeze. I think I earned myself at least two days vacation, don't you?"  
  
This woman- Zuko ran a hand over his face with a small groan. He did not understand how she could be so confidently disrespectful and _lazy_. Between foisting her work off on Seaman Ju Long at any given opportunity and sneaking naps in Ensign Nari's office, it was astounding she had been able to pass training to get into the navy in the first place, let alone remain in the navy long enough to end up on the _Sazanami_.  
  
"No, Seaman Bun Ma, I'm not going to grant you vacation for doing something for once."  
  
Rather than argue or get disappointed, she shrugged. "Yeah, fair enough."  
  
Zuko had never met someone with less of a backbone. She wouldn't even fight to not work? Granted... Seaman Bun Ma never waited for something like _permission_ to slack off. Ugh, trying to understand this woman gave Zuko a headache.  
  
"Luck aside, how did you make him agree to a deal with you? The other villagers wouldn't listen to a word I said! I was being reasonable," Zuko paused. He looked back to Ensign Nari. "Wasn't I?"  
  
Ensign Nari nodded. "Your demands were in their favor, however-"  
  
"You scared the spirits out of them, Princey," Seaman Bun Ma interrupted with an undignified snort. "This isn't some port town that's used to Fire Nation soldiers milling about, and this sure isn't a Fire Nation farming town where soldiers would be welcomed. Even if we were in the colonies, and not the occupied land we are in, people wouldn't have been receptive to us riding into town in full armor making demands, no matter how reasonable."  
  
Uncle had tried to make the same argument all week, but Zuko hadn't believed him. Zuko slumped in his saddle as a heavy weight settled in his chest. "But they didn't have any reason to be scared of us. They're already compliant with Fire Nation rule, and all they had to do was tell me it was a dumb kid's mistake. They didn't have to be so defensive and argue like they had something to hide!"  
  
"Maybe they didn't, in this particular area, but in other towns earthbending is a one-way ticket to a work camp. Can you blame them for not wanting to take that chance?"  
  
Zuko knew about earthbending work camps. His tutors said they were necessary for controlling rebellious and dangerous earthbenders until they accepted their place in the Fire Nation.   
  
"But," Zuko said, voice small and uncertain. "He was just a kid."  
  
Seaman Bun Ma shrugged as if the fact made no difference. "Still an earthbender. Like I said, maybe it's not the case in this area, but somewhere else he would have been shipped off regardless of his age. If you were anyone else, they had every reason to keep you in the dark about their earthbender. But they also didn't know you're you, so how would they know not to be scared of you, you know?"  
  
"No... I don't know."  
  
Uncle chuckled from Zuko's other side. "I believe what Seaman Bun Ma is trying to express, Prince Zuko, is that the villagers only saw a Fire Nation soldier, someone whom they instinctively do not trust. If you had presented yourself as a young man simply looking for information, they likely would have answered your questions without a second thought."  
  
Everything about this was _wrong_. The villagers were under Fire Nation rule, they weren't the enemy anymore. They shouldn't have to be afraid of Fire Nation soldiers. If they stopped being so distrustful and afraid and welcomed the Fire Nation-  
  
Zuko frowned. No, they _had_ already welcomed the Fire Nation. The village elder had said something about taxes, so they were complying no matter how distrustful or fearful they were. But they weren't raised properly in the ways of the Fire Nation like those in the colonies, so they still didn't understand why it was so great. Just like with volcanoes, so common back home and not elsewhere, they didn't have the proper education yet to comprehend.  
  
Maybe this was part of Zuko's personal volcano, accepting that even if the Fire Nation was the best option, people were still afraid. This was still a war, after all. Once the war and all the fighting was over, then people could learn how great the Fire Nation really was.  
  
"How am I supposed to find the Avatar if the people I'm trying to question think I want to hurt them?" Zuko asked. He wasn't so naive to think he could keep his search only to people that would trust him while knowing he was Fire Nation.   
  
Uncle hummed. "Perhaps next time a situation such as this arises, you would be amenable to adopting a harmless guise? There is no shame in a bit of subterfuge to obtain vital information, Prince Zuko."  
  
A harmless guise, like Seaman Bun Ma's. Even as a soldier, she was so disarmingly harmless that a scared kid trusted her. While Zuko would not be able to pull off her baffling attitude, the least he could do was take away his appearance as a soldier.   
  
"Yeah, perhaps I'll try that next time," Zuko mumbled as he pushed his komodo rhino ahead of the group. He had a lot to think about over their ride back to the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> zukos slowly but surely learning these hard lessons...
> 
> also i ADORE bun ma she's an ICON like im 100% biased and shes just gonna be playing a role in a lot of crew plot stuff now because whoops made a girl i like too much hahaha heres her [tumblr extra](https://redriot.tumblr.com/post/625257298103779328/)~
> 
> as for the next chapter HMMM im aiming for wednesday... we'll see what happens, no promises lol RIP
> 
> hmu tumblr @redriot twitter @starofjems


	4. Incidental Catch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my GOD this behemoth is finished. It kept growing and growing as I wanted to just throw more things in! Hope you all enjoy! TY to Jana the angel <3

There was something cathartic about cleaning the komodo rhino stalls. The rest of the seamen complained that komodo rhino care was the worst task one could be assigned for the day, though. While the mixed scent of hay, manure, and animal led to such poor opinions, Ju Long was only reminded of home. After he told other crew members that, people had started seeking Ju Long out to switch their daily assignments with him when they pulled komodo rhino duty. It felt nice to be seen as dependable for _something_ after his instructors spent so long telling him how useless he would be in the military.   
  
Cleaning the komodo rhino stalls also had an added benefit of letting him hide in the cargo hold for a good portion of the day. That meant Ju Long got to avoid Petty Officer Takehiko, Ensign Nari, and Prince Zuko without making it too obvious. Granted, Ensign Nari and Prince Zuko weren't _that_ bad, but the weapons department head was always harassing him about training and Prince Zuko was scary on principle. Petty Officer Takehiko was an asshole that treated Ju Long with enough contempt to bother even him who was already used to it.  
  
The door to the cargo hold slammed open, as it _always_ did, but Ju Long still jumped and fumbled with his pitchfork. Ridiculous. He could only laugh at himself, as he was slowly learning to do. Unfortunately, there was no laughing away the shrill yelp he let out in response to Prince Zuko's voice suddenly addressing him from outside the stall.  
  
"Oh- Um- I didn't mean to startle you-" Prince Zuko mumbled, his face twisted in an expression Ju Long recently learned wasn't angry but embarrassed. "I just didn't realize anyone would be down here right now... Shouldn't you be on deck swabbing duty today?"  
  
Ju Long's stomach dropped. Agni, the prince knew his schedule. Why did the prince know his schedule? It was fine. Ju Long would be fine. Everyone kept reassuring him the prince was only a child and nothing to be scared of- But why did the prince _know his schedule_?!  
  
"I- I- Uh- Already finished my morning assignment, Sir." Was Ju Long's voice as squeaky as he thought it was? Spirits, why couldn't he be as unflappable as Bun Ma- Oh _Spirits_ , Bun Ma!  
  
Just as the thought occurred to Ju Long, it surely hit Prince Zuko. His brow scrunched into his scar and the corner of his mouth turned downward. That was definitely an angry expression. What did Ju Long get his friend into? Would he be guilty for helping her?   
  
"I swear to- That woman! Where is she? I cannot believe-" Prince Zuko trailed off, muttering under his breath as he stomped away.  
  
Ju Long stared at Sunshine, the komodo rhino whose stall he was currently cleaning. Sunshine snorted at him and went back to eating her hay. If that was her way of telling him to stop being such a scaredy cat and to _not_ leave his friend to fend for herself, well it was working.   
  
With a racing heart, Ju Long scurried after the storming prince. Words of protest kept dying in his throat until it was too late. Prince Zuko found Bun Ma dozing on a hay bale, peacefully oblivious to the storm raging above her. One last try, Ju Long could resolve this situation without getting Bun Ma in trouble-  
  
"Seaman Bun Ma!" Prince Zuko yelled, his voice echoing through the cargo hold.   
  
A few of the komodo rhinos brayed in protest to the sudden auditory assault. The messenger hawks trilled and shrieked in response. Bun Ma just groaned and rolled over so her back was to the prince. Ju Long almost had a full-on heart attack then and there.  
  
"You don't have to yell, Princey," Bun Ma whined. "I think I'm going to develop hearing problems."  
  
Oh no, this was where Ju Long was going to have a heart attack, he could practically feel it coming. He was short of breath, but it seemed his heart was miraculously doing its best to hold out for now. If the prince wanted to discipline Bun Ma for her behavior, technically it was within his right. Would Ju Long have the courage to stop him if-  
  
Prince Zuko's shoulders trembled, but his delivery was shockingly level as he spoke. "Maybe if you stopped _napping_ when you should be working, I wouldn't feel the need to yell at you. Care to tell me why Seaman Ju Long is doing _your_ job through his meal break?"  
  
Bun Ma rolled over again to stare at Ju Long. "Hey, I told you to wake me up for lunch."  
  
She had, but Ju Long had figured he could finish up, and they could slip in for the last lunch call. "Sorry, I-"  
  
"No! You're not apologizing to her!" Prince Zuko interrupted. He pointed a stern finger down at Bun Ma. "If you're going to be lazy and make Seaman Ju Long pick up your slack, at least be considerate enough to do some work so he doesn't have to miss his _scheduled_ breaks!"  
  
"It's okay, Prince Zuko, sir, I don't mind-"  
  
Prince Zuko turned on his heels and directed his accusing finger at Ju Long, making him forget how to breathe. Was this it? Was this his end?  
  
"No! You're not going to defend her inconveniencing you! Now both of you get out, have your lunch, and!" He turned away from Ju Long to point at Bun Ma once more. Ju Long still struggled to remember how breathing worked. "I'm not naive enough to think you'll actually finish your work by yourself, but at the very least _help_ Seaman Ju Long in doing _your_ job!"  
  
Bun Ma sat up with a large yawn, right in Prince Zuko's face. "Well, I won't protest being ordered to go to lunch. But are you sure you're not kicking us out so you can spoil the komodo rhinos in secret?"  
  
It was only as Bun Ma pointed to the handful of carrots Prince Zuko was carrying that Ju Long noticed them. Surely the prince hadn't come down for that, right? But from the way the tip of his ear went bright red, maybe Bun Ma wasn't so far off... Or maybe he was furious.   
  
Ju Long was not about to wait around to find out. He had been dismissed, so he was allowed to leave. With controlled, composed steps, Ju Long escaped the cargo hold without looking like he was running away. He leaned against the wall outside and gasped for air. Nothing had actually happened! The prince was angry, but he wouldn't _do_ anything! Even though Ju Long _logically_ knew this fact, his brain really liked to forget it.  
  
The cargo hold door slammed shut behind Bun Ma as she joined him. She patted his head with a soft, undignified snort.   
  
"Honestly Ju Long, if the prince isn't going to punish _me_ for being a lazy shit, _you_ have nothing to worry about. "  
  
"I _know_ ," Ju Long whined. "But- what if one day is the final straw! You really shouldn't egg him on like that, Bun Ma!"  
  
Bun Ma cackled as she dragged him off the wall and down the hall. "Please, the worst Princey will ever do to me is yell. We just need to have you spend more time with him to see that."  
  
"Oh sure, because there's plenty of opportunities to just-"  
  
Bun Ma's amused grin sent chills down Ju Long's spine. There was no way she was considering-  
  
She was.

  
  
  


The invitation arrived over breakfast with Uncle. Seaman Shen announced his arrival as he brought Uncle his second pot of tea, but the pot was not the only thing set on the table. He placed the scroll down in front of Zuko with a hint of a smile.   
  
"Sir, Seaman Bun Ma formally requests you accompany her and Seaman Ju Long to the Summer Solstice celebrations today."  
  
Zuko stared at the scroll in hopes he could set it alight with his eyes. Unfortunately, no such thing happened. He looked up to Seaman Shen. "I'm not attending."  
  
Uncle made a noise of distress. "Prince Zuko, what do you mean you're not attending? Surely you're not planning on staying in your room and missing out on the festivities!"   
  
"No, I'm going out, but I'm not going to _enjoy_ the festival. I don't have time to waste playing around. I'm going to be asking around for new leads."  
  
The look Uncle gave him made Zuko want to leave the room right then. It was the most dreaded variation of disappointed looks--the 'I'm disappointed and I pity you' variation.   
  
"The Summer Solstice is a day of rest and celebration for _everyone_. I believe you've more than earned a single day's respite from your mission, Prince Zuko."  
  
That was simply outrageous, Zuko didn't need a break! He certainly hadn't earned one, that was for sure. Almost five months at sea, and he had nothing to show for it. So what if Summer Solstice was a national holiday? Zuko had missed more festivals in his life than he had attended, so skipping out wasn't anything _new_. He usually lit a candle for Agni, meditated and gave his thanks, which concluded his solstice celebration. Attending festivals was for common folk and children.   
  
"I'm not going, Uncle, and that's final!" Zuko pushed the invitation away as he stood. There was nothing Uncle could say that would change his mind.  
  
"Sir," Seaman Shen spoke up, standing off to the side. "Seaman Bun Ma informed me that if you were reluctant, she would not be above trying to bribe you."  
  
" _Excuse me_?"  
  
Uncle's laughter pulled Zuko's attention to him reading the stupid scroll. "It appears Seaman Bun Ma has offered to give you peace of mind and do her own work for a month."  
  
Zuko was surrounded by crazy people, that was the only explanation for this farce. How were Uncle and Seaman Shen actually taking this seriously? That wasn't a bribe, that was Seaman Bun Ma offering to the bare minimum required of her! For Agni's sake-  
  
"She also mentions that Seaman Ju Long is quite anxious around you and perhaps spending time at the festival together would help soothe his fears," Uncle said as he closed the scroll. "I do believe it would be good for overall morale if you bonded more with the crew, Prince Zuko."  
  
"You can be rather intimidating at times, Sir," Seaman Shen contributed.   
  
That comment gave him pause. Was Seaman Ju Long really _that_ scared of him? Zuko sank back to his cushion with a sigh. Seaman Ju Long was a good soldier that had no reason to be afraid. If anyone should be intimidated by him, it should be that brazen, shameless Seaman Bun Ma. How was Zuko supposed to be a trustworthy leader if good soldiers were afraid of him for no reason?  
  
"I don't have anything appropriate to wear to a festival," Zuko grumbled.  
  
Uncle smiled victoriously. "Oh I'm quite certain something can quickly be arranged."

  
  
  


Storm clouds hung ominously on the horizon. Of course there was the threat of rain the year Ju Long needed Agni's blessings the most. There was no way he was going to survive this deployment without some spiritual assistance. Sure, it had yet to be that bad almost half a year in, but Ju Long _knew_ things weren't going to stay so peaceful. Something was going to go wrong, why not go wrong today?  
  
"Stop fretting so much, everything will be _fine_ ," Bun Ma said, digging a sharp elbow into his side.   
  
Easy for her to say. If the storm decided to make land, then Bun Ma would hardly feel the effect of not getting Agni's blessing. No matter what she did or didn't do, things always worked out in her favor. She didn't need Agni to shine down on her for a prosperous year. Ju Long needed every bit of help he could get.  
  
"It's better I don't go!"   
  
Ju Long did _not_ hide behind Bun Ma at the sound of Prince Zuko's shout. He may have taken half a step closer to her, but it wasn't hiding. Judging from the snort Bun Ma shot his way, her thoughts did not align with his own.   
  
The rest of the crew had long since disembarked and began enjoying their Summer Solstice. Usually the prince tried to contain his outbursts to private quarters where everyone could uphold the illusion they didn't hear him yelling at General Iroh. Apparently Ju Long and Bun Ma were not worth trying to save face.  
  
General Iroh dragged Prince Zuko down the loading ramp by the back of his new jinbei. Literally _dragged_ the prince, who had his arms crossed and pouted as the general spoke to him in a soft voice. Between the casual wear and the petulance achievable only by a young teen, Ju Long for the first time _saw_ the child everyone swore Prince Zuko to be.   
  
"Like a feral kitten," Bun Ma said. She crossed an arm across her chest and propped her head on her hand. "Adorable."  
  
As the royal pair walked closer, Ju Long got a better look at the hastily acquired jinbei. His heart jumped into his throat. The repeated pattern of flying dragons on dark red fabric likely seemed like the perfect choice for a Fire Nation prince. Perhaps it would have been if not for the fact the dragons were red and _turquoise_ , breathing orange and _green_ flames. For anyone raised in the colonies' working class, it was obviously a proud declaration of Earth Kingdom heritage.  
  
" _Bun Ma_ ," Ju Long hissed. "Who thought _that_ was a good idea to put the prince in?"  
  
Her sly smile said it all. Ju Long didn't think anyone else on the _Sazanami_ was from colonies, but if they were, hopefully they had the intelligence to keep their mouths shut about the meaning hidden in the prince's outfit.  
  
"Just thought it'd be nice to have the royal family supporting _all_ their citizens for once," she said as if this wasn't probably some form of treason.  
  
"Seaman Bun Ma, Seaman Ju Long!" General Iroh called as he crossed the dock, still pulling the prince along. "So sorry for making you wait! Prince Zuko took some convincing to uphold his promise to accompany you."  
  
Prince Zuko hunched his shoulders as he muttered, "It's better if I stay in so it doesn't rain."  
  
With a heavy sigh that Ju Long could feel in his soul, General Iroh let go of the prince's clothes to pat his back. "If the storm blows into town, it will do so regardless of your attendance or not."  
  
"No, if the storm is going to hit, it will _definitely_ do so if I go!" Prince Zuko scowled, but it wasn't so scary following a pout. "I should spare everyone my bad luck, so they can enjoy their day off."  
  
General Iroh fixed them with a stare Ju Long knew all too well from his mother. It was the look she often gave his father when she thought Ju Long was being overdramatic. Ju Long never thought there would be a day when he'd be the recipient, instead of the cause, of such a look.  
  
"Spirits, you're worse than Ju Long!" Bun Ma let out a grating cackle of a laugh as she approached the prince. Without a shred of hesitation, she threw her arm around his shoulders. "Unless you're a weatherbender, there's no way the rain can be your fault. Now quit being a brat and come have fun with us."  
  
Rather than blowing up, Prince Zuko was stunned into silence in the face of such blatant disrespect. Although equally taken aback, General Iroh recovered much faster. He folded his hands into the sleeves of his casual robes with a pleased smile.   
  
"Be sure to return by sundown, I'd like to enjoy the fireworks with my nephew."  
  
"Wait, Uncle, you can't be seri-"  
  
Bun Ma gave a lazy, improper bow with her arm still slung about the prince. "Sure thing. And you be sure to actually go relax some and not follow us around like a mother pighen. Princey is in good hands!"  
  
With a spluttering Prince Zuko in tow and a bemused General Iroh left behind, Bun Ma started toward town. Ju Long's feet were glued to the dock, unsure when exactly in that exchange his spirit had abandoned his body, but it certainly wasn't in its earthly confines anymore. Honestly, Bun Ma was playing such a dangerous game. He didn't understand how she could be so confident that she wouldn't push these royals too far.  
  
"Not to worry, Seaman Ju Long, I do not take offense to Seaman Bun Ma's actions nor her words. I find her blunt honesty rather refreshing." General Iroh chuckled and shook his head. "It is a rarity in the court where we all must wear a different mask for every interaction. For many nobles, they can no longer remove their mask without also removing their own face."  
  
Ju Long frowned, unsure of how to interpret what General Iroh was telling him. "Sir?"  
  
"Such is a world Prince Zuko grew up in. Try to look past a young boy's mask and do not fear to be yourself."  
  
"I-"  
  
His name carried across the docks as Bun Ma waved at him to catch up. Prince Zuko remained under Bun Ma's other arm, sulking and displeased, but unmoving. Fear did not squeeze at Ju Long's chest nor did it twist his stomach as he bowed to General Iroh and jogged over to the pair, the general's words swirling in his mind.

  
  


When Bun Ma established the rules for the day—"absolutely no titles and have fun!"—Zuko thought he might be able to survive. It was foolish to be optimistic because of course his opinion turned the moment they entered the heart of the town. People pushed and shoved their way through the crowded streets without care for propriety or personal space. Sure, Zuko had been to large events and festivals before, but they were events closed to nobles and the upper class. The press of bodies in every direction was a new and overwhelming experience.  
  
Bun Ma grabbed his hand to guide him through the crowd. It was tempting to shake her off, but Ju Long was also being pulled along. Ju Long who was way older than Zuko and still let Bun Ma hold his hand like a child, so no one would judge Zuko for allowing it either. Zuko would never admit how reassuring it was to follow behind Bun Ma and not have to worry about pushing through people or losing track of his companions.  
  
"We're starting late, so I bet the solstice fortune stall isn't too crowded."  
  
Less crowd sounded nice, getting fortunes less so. Zuko _always_ got bad luck fortunes, something Azula never failed to taunt him about. It was pointless drawing a fortune, Zuko knew his own luck without having to be reminded.  
  
"I'd rather not," Ju Long said, slowing his steps and pulling back against Bun Ma's hand. "I get the worst fortunes."  
  
"Seconded," Zuko said. He could feel Ju Long's wide-eyed stare, but refused to acknowledge it. Yeah, he was unlucky too. No need to make a big deal about it.  
  
Instead of taking pity on them, Bun Ma laughed in their faces and tugged them onward. "So what? It's supposedly your luck regardless if you pull it or not. Isn't it better to get a protective charm rather than going through the year without the spirits keeping an extra eye on you?"  
  
It was difficult to dispute such logic, leaving both Zuko and Ju Long silent as they continued down the street. Sure enough, the crowd was thinning as Bun Ma predicted it would, and there was only a short line in front of the stall. Bun Ma draped an arm over Ju Long's shoulders and closed her eyes seemingly for prayer, but then stood like that so long Zuko could only assume she was napping on her feet. And that left Zuko and Ju Long to stare at each other awkwardly for a long while.   
  
Zuko already sucked at small talk in a normal situation, how was he supposed to chat with someone who was supposedly terrified of him? They held stiff eye contact for a few moments longer, then Ju Long broke it to stare at the fortune stall. Zuko took that as permission to remain silent. Instead of talking, he used the opportunity to properly observe the commoners around them now that he wasn't going to be crushed at any moment.  
  
After months at sea, Zuko hadn't given much thought to the first town they had docked at. He had been occupied with resupply procedures and the disaster meeting with Commander Genkei, so there had been little time to appreciate being off the ship. At every other city they'd stopped at, Zuko always had a _purpose_ while going about, either asking around for possible leads on the Avatar or listening as Koji expanded their medical lessons. There had never been a moment to really process his surroundings.  
  
Banished or not, Zuko was still royalty, a _prince_ , and yet here he was, bumping elbows with colony rabble. More shocking than that realization was the following thought that Zuko didn't care all that much. He had hated being pressed in the earlier crowd, but not once had it crossed his mind to be bothered by whom. Just a half year ago, Zuko would have been put off by the mere concept of mingling with the lower classes. He could hear Azula's voice even now, complaining about the grim and disease the peasants must be carrying.  
  
Such a mindset seemed ridiculous now. These common folk were just regular people, like the crew on the _Sazanami_ and like Zuko himself. Some wore similar garb to the lower elites of the capital Zuko was accustomed to, high collared chest pieces paired with layered robes. Others wore thin pants and tops, sleeveless and freeing as much skin as possible from the confines of fabric in the summer heat. More still wore similar festive, patterned garments such as Zuko and his companions. Uncle had said the patterned jinbei and yukata originated from the northern colonies and were slowly gaining popularity amongst Fire Nation commoners, and that seemed to be true indeed.  
  
On this street, waiting in line for a Fire Sage Disciple to interpret his fortune, titleless for the day and dressed in a colony fashion, Zuko struggled to connect with the boy who had never left the walls of the palace on his own two feet. What would Azula say about him like this? Or Father? Likely nothing positive, and yet, Zuko found himself uncaring of their potential opinions. They would never know about this day, nor of the strange peace Zuko felt blending into the rabble.  
  
"Hey Princey, it's your turn."  
  
Zuko startled out of his thoughts, red filling his cheek as Bun Ma and Ju Long stared at him. They stood off to the side of the stall, fortunes already told and waiting for him.   
  
"I thought you said no titles!"   
  
Bun Ma cackled her grating, loud laugh that would have every royal tutor rapping her knuckles in an instant to cease such undignified behavior. "It's a nickname, not a title. Now get your fortune told, Zuko."  
  
Someone in line grumbled behind him and the Fire Sage Disciple stared at him with thinly disguised impatience. Zuko's ears burned as he stepped forward to grab the fortune box. The bamboo sticks inside rattled as he picked it up. Before he could give the box a good shake, a stick clattered on the counter.   
  
"Oh that's good luck!" Bun Ma cheered.  
  
Ju Long mumbled, "Or real shit luck."  
  
"It's a decisive answer from Agni," the Fire Sage Disciple said in a knowing tone. She picked up the stick and turned her back to Zuko as she searched for the corresponding fortune stored on the shelves behind her.  
  
This was Zuko's first time seeing a Disciple. He knew they existed and played an important role in extending the reach of the Fire Sages, but there was no need for Disciples in the palace. She was shockingly young compared to the wrinkled old men Zuko was used to.   
  
"Small misfortune," the Disciple announced as she returned with his fortune's scroll in hand. The vice grip on his chest lessened slightly at her words. Small misfortune? That was it? That was practically a great blessing for Zuko! "Three copper for a deeper reading. Five for a protection charm."  
  
There was no time for Zuko to consider his options before Bun Ma dropped a handful of coins on the counter. "Both please!"  
  
"Wait-"  
  
The Disciple opened the scroll and spoke over Zuko's protest. "Agni's rays will shine brightly on you this coming year. Though there will be obstacles and strife, you will overcome and achieve what you set your sights on. However, your accomplishments may be overshadowed by the results they bring about. Uncertainty and doubt can cause as much misfortune as failure can. Do not dwell on what is out of your hands, and trust in Agni's guidance when misfortune befalls you, for it will not be as great as it seems."  
  
As Zuko absorbed his fortune, the Disciple put the scroll away. She ducked under the counter to pull out the protection charm. It was a small metal amulet in the shape of Agni's flame. Compared to the charms of the capital, it was dull and simplistic. The Disciple held it out to him by the ends of the leather cord strung through the charm. Zuko let her drop it into his palm, only to stare at it in a numb state.  
  
The few times in the past Zuko had gotten his solstice fortune, he never stuck around for further reading. Azula didn't believe in fortunes, but she _loved_ being told how great she was by the Fire Sages. Based on Azula's elaborate fortunes, Zuko always figured a misfortune reading would tell him how awful his year would be. This had been nothing of the sort. There was a bubble of... some kind of warm emotion in Zuko's chest as he allowed Bun Ma to pull the charm over his head. The metal felt cool against his skin in the summer heat.  
  
"What did you get?" Zuko asked, hoping to detract attention away from his stupor as they walked away from the stall.  
  
"Misfortune," Ju Long said with a heavy sigh. He lifted a similar cord around his neck to display his larger flame amulet.   
  
Bun Ma laughed as she punched Ju Long's shoulder, hard enough he groaned and Zuko winced in sympathy. "Oh come on, the reading didn't sound that bad! Just like yours, Zuko! Misfortune is only bad if you let it get to you."  
  
"Easy for _you_ to say." Ju Long pushed Bun Ma away with a frown. "I bet you always draw great blessings."  
  
"I'll have you know I've pulled a small blessing or two in my years. And they never seem worse than my great blessing years, so I know what I'm talking about when I say it all comes to your perception!"  
  
Zuko scoffed. Of course Bun Ma was born lucky. How else would she have skated by in life with a work ethic like hers? At least Azula put in effort alongside her bountiful luck. "No, Ju Long's right. It's easy for someone _lucky_ to say it's all about perception."  
  
"You two are insufferable!" Bun Ma whined and took hold of their hands. "Come on, we're going to play some games to loosen up, you sticks in the mud."  
  
"Somehow I don't think festival games are going to help change our minds," Zuko said under his breath as Bun Ma dragged them back toward the center of activity.   
  
Ju Long trailed behind Bun Ma in step with Zuko, and heard the quiet words. He looked down with a miserable expression. "You have no idea. The crew's banned her from playing games with any element of chance, and she still manages to win anything they do let her play."  
  
Ugh. Just like Azula, if Azula had no ambitions other than getting obscene amounts of sleep. The thought elicited a small scowl, as thoughts of his sister's fortune often did. Ju Long squeaked and stumbled briefly, then turned straight ahead and walked a little faster, so he was no longer being dragged alongside Zuko. Oh, come on! Zuko forced his face into something neutral, even as he wanted to glare more in his frustration. He was doing a real bad job at quelling Ju Long's anxiety around him.  
  
Now that Zuko knew what to expect, the crowds of people were slightly more bearable. Bun Ma kept pulling them out of the main street to stop at an array of game booths. Sure enough, she _was_ just like Azula and effortlessly won any childish challenge set before her. Unlike Azula's, Zuko found himself celebrating Bun Ma's victories even as he failed miserably at the same dumb games. Instead of gloating and hoarding her prizes, Bun Ma laughed and passed on her winnings as easily as she had won them.  
  
It was hard to resent Bun Ma while carrying a soft, stuffed turtleduck toy under his arm. Bun Ma noticed Zuko didn't want to give up on trying a ring toss game and somehow noticed his glances at the turtleduck. Rather than taunting him, or winning it to set it on fire, Bun Ma stepped up to execute her superior game skills and gave Zuko the turtleduck. She then went and won Ju Long a stuffed porcadillo toy when Zuko tried to protest that he was too old for stuffed animals. Ju Long accepted his own without complaint so... perhaps in this environment, it was okay for Zuko to keep his turtleduck too.  
  
"Oh! An archery range!" Bun Ma exclaimed, jerking her companions in that direction. Zuko's arm was starting to ache from how often Bun Ma abruptly changed directions, but it was preferable to pushing his way by himself.  
  
Ju Long raised a brow. "Are you trying to make us feel better?"  
  
"How would she do that?" Zuko asked, no real heat in his voice with the soft fabric of his turtleduck pressed against his chest. When Ju Long looked down at him, Zuko made sure to maintain a neutral expression.   
  
"I think the only person on the ship with worse upper body strength than me is Bun Ma."  
  
While Zuko could easily believe Bun Ma lacked strength with how little she trained on the deck, he doubted she was the _only_ one weaker than Ju Long. There were definitely civilian workers on the ship that could be outclassed by Ju Long, and even some soldiers. Ju Long's strength wasn't a problem, it was employing that strength.   
  
"I don't need strength to hit a bullseye," Bun Ma said before Zuko could try to voice his thoughts, effectively distracting him to a different topic.   
  
"You need strength to properly shoot a bow!" Zuko snapped, turning his attention to Bun Ma with a glare. "That range looks pretty big. Can you even pull the string far enough to achieve that distance?"  
  
Bun Ma scoffed and dropped their hands as she approached the archery range worker. "Hey, do I have to use a bow and arrow to hit the target?"  
  
Zuko turned to Ju Long incredulously, who meekly shrugged and shook his head, seeming just as confused.  
  
The worker crossed his arms with a patronizing smile. "Young lady, I don't think you can _throw_ anything far enough to reach the target."  
  
"Did I say anything about throwing?" Bun Ma asked with a lazy grin. She snapped her fingers and a spark shot up. "Silver piece says I can hit bullseye with my bending."  
  
"Of _course_ ," Ju Long mumbled at Zuko's side.   
  
Zuko could only stare, jaw agape in an unseemly manner. He had read the personnel files of everyone on the _Sazanami_ , surely he wouldn't have forgotten if Bun Ma was a bender or not. And yet, somehow this was a completely new revelation to him. Ju Long didn't seem surprised, so it clearly wasn't a secret, but- Since when! How! She never attended regular training sessions, but even someone as lazy as Bun Ma would still attend _firebending_ training if she were a _firebender_. Right?  
  
"Your silver piece says nothing when the whole target is set aflame," the worker argued with furrowed brows.  
  
Bun Ma lightly flicked her middle finger away from the man. A small ball of fire flew from her finger and several feet away. It smoldered out the moment it hit the ground, but a patch of darkened grass indicated where it had been. She grinned. "Really, no more damage than an arrowhead, wouldn't you say?"  
  
The man stared at Bun Ma, then shrugged and held his hand out for her silver piece. "Shit, why not. You got me curious now."  
  
With an elated cheer, Bun Man slammed her silver piece down. She stepped up to the table housing the usual equipment for this gamble and ignored them all as she took her stance. It was unlike any firebending form Zuko had ever seen. Bun Ma stood, feet spread apart, but only so she could pop her hip and lean into her back leg in her regular relaxed stance. With one arm against her chest, she stabilized her elbow in her palm to hold her hand next to her face. Her middle finger pressed against her thumb, poised for a flick.  
  
Bun Ma's face scrunched as she closed one eye and squinted the other to stare at her target. She took a deep breath, then let it out in a puff as she released her finger. A brighter fireball than her first launched out from the action and sailed for the targets in the distance. It slammed into the center of the target, then dissipated into a soft cloud of smoke, leaving behind only a small blackened bullseye.   
  
"Well I'll be damned!" The worker exclaimed as he pulled out a second silver piece, offering both to Bun Ma. "First time I've seen a thing like that."  
  
Zuko stormed forward to grab Bun Ma's arm and whirled her around to face him before she could accept her winnings. He could hardly speak through his shock. "How did you do that! What kind of fire bending technique is that?"  
  
"Eh, something I came up with when I was little," Bun Ma said with a shrug, as if coming up with original bending techniques was a common pastime. Again, Zuko's mind drew parallels to Azula, and he could taste a resentful bile in the back of his throat. How was _anything_ in this world fair when there were people born with all the luck, leaving none for anyone else. But, yet again, the similarities to his sister ended there when Bun Ma grinned. "Want me to teach you?"  
  
There was no need to consider such an offer, one that Azula would have _never_ extended so easily. With an enthusiastic agreement from Zuko, Bun Ma turned to the worker and took her original silver piece back.   
  
"You can keep yours if you let us use your range to practice."  
  
The worker stared at them, then pocketed the coin with an eye roll. "Keep out of the way of customers and make sure your brother doesn't set anything on fire."  
  
Wait- Brother-?  
  
"Sure thing!" Bun Ma agreed, dragging Zuko off to the end of the range, uncaring about the misunderstanding.   
  
Ju Long trailed behind them with a small laugh. "Princess Bun Ma, could you imagine?"  
  
"I would be a _great_ princess," Bun Ma shot back, still grinning.  
  
Zuko scoffed. "Please, your knuckles would be bleeding after a single lesson with the royal tutors."  
  
Bun Ma's smile dropped. Ju Long stared with wide eyes. Zuko looked between them, unsure how to respond. "What? If I got smacked all the time just for being slow, I can't imagine how hard they would smack your hand for falling asleep during a lesson."  
  
"Agni," Ju Long swore under his breath.  
  
"Well, that explains _a lot_. Moving on!" Bun Ma clapped her hands together. "I'm teaching you how to fire flick."  
  
Zuko quickly forgot about the pair's odd reaction as he threw himself into learning Bun Ma's technique. At first, he feared he would be unable to summon his flames to even begin, but his inner fire jumped when called and Zuko flicked out a spark on the first try. Elated with his initial success, he pushed to continue until he got the technique down.   
  
Eventually, Zuko managed to produce a small ball of fire from his finger, but he could not achieve any sort of distance. Bun Ma was an _awful_ teacher and had no advice on how Zuko could give momentum to his fireball. She shrugged, saying all he had to do was flick it. That was what he was _doing_. After what felt like the fiftieth time Zuko flicked fire to the ground, Ju Long spoke up.  
  
"How did you come up with this anyways, Bun Ma?"  
  
Sprawled out on the grass, having left Zuko to his own devices so she could nap after he shouted how useless of a teacher she was, Bun Ma opened an eye after a wide yawn. "I dunno. I just wanted to join in on my siblings' games, and they said I wasn't allowed to because it was a bending game. So I used my bending to play like they said."  
  
Zuko turned away from the range to stare down at her, face scrunched in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense. They wouldn't let you play a bending game, but you're a bender?"  
  
"Oh! Yeah." Bun Ma laughed and flicked a ball of fire upward. As it fell back down toward her, she flicked it again and played with it like it was an actual ball. "All my siblings are earthbenders. Can't tell you how many games they tried to exclude me from since I couldn't throw around dumb rocks. So I just started throwing my fire around like rocks too."  
  
"You thought of your fire like a rock," Zuko mused aloud, staring at the ground. He picked up a small pebble, then flicked it away. The pebble shot away from him and landed on Bun Ma. Ignoring her whine of protest, Zuko turned back to the range. He had been imagining shooting the ball of fire out of his middle finger as he flicked it. But his finger didn't create the pebble when flicking it away. The pebble already existed for his finger to exert force on.  
  
The stance for Bun Ma's fire flick was ridiculous, but Zuko couldn't deny his weight on one leg and arm pressed against his body helped stabilize his raised hand more than any traditional form he could think of. He took a deep breath, then held it as he pictured fire forming on his thumb, rather than from his middle finger. With a sharp exhale, Zuko called to his inner fire and flicked his finger.  
  
A bright fire ball rocketed away from him, then slammed into the target in a blaze of flames.  
  
Zuko's jaw dropped. It worked! He did it! Elated, Zuko started to turn back to Ju Long and Bun Ma to celebrate, but then the archery range worker's sharp shout made his blood run cold.   
  
"Oi! What did I say about setting shit on fire?!"  
  
"Time to go!"  
  
With a speed Zuko didn't know Bun Ma was _capable_ of, she was on her feet and dragging him and Ju Long away from the archery range. They kept running haphazardly through the crowds of people until the shouts of alarm around the range were swallowed by the sounds of the festival. In a heap of limbs, Bun Ma pulled them to the ground next to her as she collapsed in an alleyway.   
  
Gasping for breath, Bun Ma weakly patted Zuko's shoulder. "You did it. Good-" She wheezed for air. "-job."  
  
"Good job?! I set the range on fire!"  
  
"Why did you make us run away, Bun Ma?! You could have just put the fire out!"  
  
Bun Ma held up a finger and proceeded to lift more as she counted. "One, it was a good job. Shut up. Two, you only set a target on fire. The range is fine. Three, you're not supposed to get caught when you fuck up, duh. Four, General Iroh was definitely lurking nearby and if not him, someone else that would be able to put the fire out. Five-" She trailed off, still struggling to catch her breath. "Nah that's it. But, fuck, I hate running."  
  
Of everything, perhaps that was what Zuko was most angry about. They hadn't run _that_ far nor very hard, and he had hardly broken a sweat. Ju Long was in a similar state, seated only because Bun Ma had unceremoniously brought them all down with her.   
  
"Why are you so out of shape!" Zuko yelled, throwing his hands over his head. "I cannot _believe_ you're a soldier! You are the worst soldier I have ever met! It's shameful beyond belief and I'm going to personally drag your- your _ass_ to training every day from now on!"  
  
Bun Ma wheezed a pained protest, but a sharp inhale from her other side drew Zuko's attention. Oh crud. Zuko had been working so hard on being calm and the least scary possible, but losing his temper was surely putting him right back in Ju Long's nightmares. Except, Ju Long was not anxiously trying to distance himself from Zuko's irate rant. The man had his hands clasped over his mouth as his shoulders shook in... laughter?  
  
"Ju Long! Don't laugh at my misery!" Bun Ma whined, smacking him with a limp arm.   
  
This apparently was the final straw and Ju Long released his mirth. His hands went from clutching his mouth to clutching his stomach as he shook with the force of his laughter. "Personally! Personally drag her ass! To training, oh _spirits_. I can't wait to see it, Sir!"  
  
"Zuko."  
  
Abruptly, Ju Long sat straight and went deathly still. His voice wavered. "Sorry, Sir, what?"  
  
Oh great, Zuko completely ruined the mood now. He bit his lip and fidgeted with his turtleduck toy that had miraculously accompanied them in their mad escape. "Bun Ma said no titles today. Call me Zuko."  
  
Rather than retreating into himself, Ju Long _smiled_. "Right, sorry, I forgot. Can't wait to see you force Bun Ma into training, Zuko."  
  
Zuko returned the smile. Somehow he _hadn't_ ruined everything. If Ju Long could smile at him and address him by his name, surely that meant he wasn't so scared of Zuko anymore, right?  
  
"I'm starving. Let's get lunch," Bun Ma said as she stood.  
  
"Don't think I'm going to forget this. I _will_ make sure you attend training from now on."  
  
"Well, fuck."  
  
It wasn't till they were seated in a small noodle shop, so far from the center of town that they were the only customers, that Zuko realized what exactly Bun Ma had said while explaining her fire flick technique. He placed his bowl of noodles down and stared at her with wide eyes.  
  
"All of your siblings are _earthbenders_?"  
  
While Ju Long froze mid-bite, Bun Ma continued eating and didn't have the courtesy to stop eating as she spoke. "Well, yeah. It's not super common, but mixes like my family happen often enough in the colonies. It's usually a more even split when you got two benders for parents, which is why I think my mom kept popping more kids out till she got a firebender."  
  
"You're from the _colonies_?"  
  
Now Bun Ma put her chopsticks down. Her brows furrowed. "Yeah? It's in our personnel files, and I know from Nari that you read through all of them. You didn't notice that?"  
  
Zuko shook his head, trying to remember where such a thing would be listed on the personnel files. Had there been a hometown section? If there was, no wonder Zuko skimmed over it. He never considered knowing where the crew were from could be important. Although, did it really matter Bun Ma was from the colonies? It explained why she was so peculiar, but it didn't truly _change_ anything.  
  
"I didn't think to look, honestly," he said.  
  
There was a strange tension at the table. Ju Long still had his bowl raised, chopsticks hovering near his mouth even though the noodles had slid off. Bun Ma's brows were still furrowed and her gaze oddly intense.  
  
"Is it going to be a problem?" She asked.  
  
"Why would it be a problem?"  
  
Just like that, the tension snapped and Bun Ma slouched in her chair. She resumed shoveling in noodles as she shrugged. "Some people don't like that people from the colonies can enlist."  
  
Zuko recoiled in his confusion. "What? That doesn't even make sense. You're Fire Nation citizens too! Why wouldn't people want you to enlist and help with the war efforts?"  
  
"They think we can't be trusted, since our ancestors were enemies of the Fire Nation," Ju Long said. His voice wavered, but he held Zuko's gaze when he focused on him. "It doesn't matter to them that for most of the colonies, we've been part of the Fire Nation for _generations_. I'm loyal to the Fire Nation, just like my parents and their parents before them."  
  
 _Our_ personnel files, Bun Ma had said. Zuko should have realized she was referring to Ju Long as well. Was this the reason Ju Long had been so anxious around Zuko? Had he been afraid this whole time that Zuko distrusted him for being from the colonies? But like Ju Long said, his family _was_ Fire Nation, no matter which nation their ancestors had been born in.   
  
"For a lot of people, they can't get over the fact some of our roots come from the Earth Kingdom. They think we're always gonna have hearts of earth." Bun Ma grinned and raised her elbow, flapping the fabric of her sleeve. "And to be fair they're not _totally_ wrong."  
  
"Bun Ma!" Ju Long hissed, paling and looking anxiously between Zuko and her. "Shut up."  
  
She did not shut up.  
  
"See what's hiding in my flames, Princey?"  
  
The flapping sleeve sported intricately stitched flames, as did the rest of Bun Ma's jinbei. Zuko had not given the flames a second glance, but now he looked closer. The traditional spiral at the center of the firebending symbol was replaced by a closed circle with a square in the middle. It looked like the symbol of the Earth Kingdom. Zuko's head hurt. He was so _confused_ about how he should feel about this. Bun Ma was clearly trying to bait him into something and Ju Long's hesitant camaraderie evaporated into his usual anxious disposition.   
  
"I'm going to assume you're not wearing that as a sign of treason and there's another reason you have the Earth Kingdom symbol hidden in your outfit."  
  
Bun Ma laughed so loud the owner of the shop peeked out from the back to check on them. She slammed her lunch on the table to grab the sleeve of Ju Long's yukata. Even though Ju Long tried to pull away, Zuko could still see the stripes running across the fabric everywhere else. Again, he hadn't given much thought to the outfit, but now he noticed the brown and green stripes alongside gold on the red fabric.  
  
"You're right, and if you had the smallest bit of doubt, just be rest assured Ju Long would never be so brazen as to walk around wearing treason!" Bun Ma released Ju Long, who looked ready to pass out. "What do you think, Princey, are we wrong for wanting to honor our Earth Kingdom ancestors while declaring ourselves loyal Fire Nation citizens?"  
  
"It's important to honor your ancestors, that's a core value of Fire Nation beliefs," Zuko said, mind racing. "If anything, completely rejecting your ancestors would make you less Fire Nation than embracing them even though they were Earth Kingdom. I mean- Even in the royal family there're ancestors that would not be accepted today! Princess Akari consorted with an _airbender Avatar_ , and she's still highly respected. So what if your ancestors were from the Earth Kingdom and there are earthbenders in your family, you're still _Fire Nation_!"  
  
Color returned to Ju Long's face and a hesitant smile lit up his hazel eyes that really did lean so much on the green side that Zuko wondered how he could have missed it. "Thank you, Prince Zuko."  
  
The sincerity in his thanks made Zuko squirm. He stared into his bowl of noodles with a small shrug. "Don't thank me. I should be thanking you both. I'm- There's still a lot about the world that I'm realizing I need to learn about. If I want to have any hope of being a better prince when I find the Avatar and go home, I need to know more about _all_ my citizens..."  
  
"I think you're already a great prince," Ju Long said, quiet enough Zuko could pretend he hadn't heard.   
  
They finished their lunch in silence.  
  
  


  
  
At the tender age of seven, Ju Long realized what his hazel-green eyes meant. They were the reason some kids picked him last when playing games, if they would let him play at all. It was the green in his eyes that led to customers making his mother upset when they looked too closely at him. Those specks that made his eyes glint green instead of gold in the sun meant he would always be _other_ to the people around him.  
  
Ju Long had so much _hope_ when he enlisted and went to the homeland. People in the homeland didn't check for visible signs of the Earth Kingdom to lord over him. They didn't register the flash of green and accepted him as the soldier trainee he was. Unfortunately he was an awful trainee, and soon whispers started spreading around the camp that he was from the colonies, no wonder he was an awful soldier.  
  
When Bun Ma clocked him the first day aboard the _Sazanami_ , fear gripped Ju Long like a noose. Even on a ship of outcasts he still wouldn't belong. But then she had smiled, told him she had five older siblings that were all earthbenders. She was lucky, with her honey brown eyes that didn't instantly betray her to any who took a close look.  
  
Somehow on this ship out misfits and rejects, Ju Long started to belong. Sure, Petty Officer Takehiko would harass Ju Long about his subpar skills and Ensign Nari was determined to whip him into shape, but he had _friends_ and those he didn't know well still accepted him into the fray.   
  
He thought it was all going to come tumbling down as Bun Ma proudly declared their Earth Kingdom ties to Prince Zuko.   
  
Throughout the day, Ju Long relaxed around the kid. He was intense and had a short fuse, but ultimately reminded Ju Long so much of himself when he was that age. Where Ju Long used to literally _hide_ when he felt uncomfortable, Prince Zuko hid behind scowls and loud words. The prince was only thirteen. He got frustrated over losing festival games but stubbornly kept playing. He wanted a cute turtleduck toy, but felt too old for it. His face lit up in sheer delight when he succeeded at a new firebending technique.  
  
But it had been children who first ostracized Ju Long. No matter how young or secretly awkward the young prince was, he still held the power to destroy Ju Long's life on the _Sazanami_ with a scant few words.  
  
It was in that small noodle shop, on the day Agni blessed them for the rest of the year, that Ju Long realized why Bun Ma didn't fear repercussions of teasing the little prince; why Ensign Nari defended the prince so fervently; why Koji tried so hard to reassure Ju Long about the prince's nature; why Captain Hifumi personally reprimanded anyone who spoke too harshly of the boy. Prince Zuko was different from the children that belittled a boy who carried visible signs of his heritage, different from the trainers and recruits that heard 'disloyal' instead of 'colony-born.'   
  
For so long, Ju Long had doubted his place in the world. Even if he knew in his heart he was of the Fire Nation, did he truly belong if the Fire Nation rejected him? But the crown prince of the Fire Nation did not reject him. Banished, burnt, and ostracized in his own ways, Prince Zuko was still royalty and his words still held a weight no one else's could. Full of a conviction Ju Long could only dream of possessing, the prince of the Fire Nation declared in no uncertain terms that Ju Long _belonged_.  
  
How could Ju Long ever truly fear someone who accepted him so readily?  
  
Walking out of the noodle shop, Ju Long felt weightless. Not even the rapidly approaching storm clouds could bring down his giddy mood.   
  
"Ugh, I knew it was going to rain," Prince Zuko grumbled, glaring at the sky as if he could scare the dark clouds away.  
  
Bun Ma snorted and smacked his shoulder. "Hey, what'd that Fire Sage say? Don't fret about stuff out of your hands? You should start working on that now."  
  
"Whatever, we should head back to the ship before we get drenched."  
  
"Um- Or we could-" Ju Long's words froze in his throat as both Bun Ma and Prince Zuko turned to him expectantly. It wasn't terror holding him back this time, but his usual insecurities. With a deep breath, Ju Long pushed through them with a hopeful smile. "There's a tent set up for some theatrical performances. That would keep us out of the rain."  
  
"Ugh, boring."  
  
"Let's go!" Bun Ma looked down at the prince in betrayal at the exclamation, but he was oblivious to her stare as he smiled up at Ju Long. "Lead the way?"  
  
The streets were easier to navigate as people headed inside to take cover from the impending storm. At the opposite end of town near a wide field, they came upon the theater troupe's large tent. Several performers were scattered around the field, announcing a performance would be starting in twenty minutes. While Bun Ma dragged her feet, Prince Zuko quickened his pace with shining eyes.  
  
By the main entrance to the tent stood General Iroh. He smiled as he noticed their approach and gave them a small wave. "I had a feeling you would find your way here with the coming rain. A few others are already seated inside, why don't you join them?"  
  
Prince Zuko didn't need any more encouragement and happily rushed inside the tent. Before they could follow, Ju Long froze at the sound of General Iroh's stern voice, blocking Bun Ma from entering as well.  
  
"Seaman Bun Ma, a word if you may."  
  
"Oh shit," Bun Ma hissed, turning to make a break for it, but Captain Hifumi suddenly appeared at her side to grip her arm. "Oh come on."  
  
General Iroh's smile and steely gaze made Ju Long's heart skip a beat. "I'm afraid we need to have a lengthy discussion about responsibility and the repercussion of one's actions."  
  
"Sir-" Ju Long started to say, unsure how he could defend Bun Ma, but determined to make an effort, but Bun Ma steamrolled over his attempt to pacify the situation.   
  
She smiled in mock innocence and tried to pull out of Captain Hifumi's hold. "Why ever would we do that? I have no idea what you're talking about, Sir!"  
  
Captain Hifumi breathed heavily through her nose, then shook her head. "Ensign Nari witnessed your stunt at the archery range."  
  
"Oh that snitch."  
  
"Uh- Captain-" Again Ju Long wanted to help, somehow, but General Iroh cut him off with a kind smile that was almost scarier than his icy one.   
  
"Seaman Ju Long, I admire your loyalty to your friends and you have no reason to fear for Seaman Bun Ma. I promise we will only be speaking with her. Why don't you join my nephew and enjoy the performance?"  
  
It wasn't that Ju Long distrusted the general and captain, but it felt wrong to leave Bun Ma for a stern lecture when he also had been responsible for the prince while going about the festival. His feet remained stubbornly planted to the ground. Bun Ma's soft laugh pulled him out of his hesitance.   
  
"Go watch the stupid play," she huffed, leaning into Captain Hifumi as if she were a friend and not a peeved superior officer. "Tell Princey I didn't feel like pretending to watch and went to take a nap elsewhere."  
  
Captain Hifumi smiled reassuringly and General Iroh nodded to him. It still felt wrong... Ju Long hoped he wasn't missing some hidden signal from Bun Ma to keep protesting as he bowed and entered the tent. Behind him he could hear Bun Ma laughing about something, so surely she would be fine.   
  
A group from the _Sazanami_ sat near the stage. As Ju Long approached, Prince Zuko looked up with a small smile and slid over, pushing Engineer Zhen over to make room between him and Koji. The warm, welcoming smile Koji gave Ju Long as he sat warmed his cheeks, and he had to look away.  
  
"Where's Bun Ma?" Prince Zuko asked, looking around curiously.  
  
Ju Long gave her excuse, which the prince readily accepted. Judging by the range of bemused to annoyed expressions from the rest of the gathered crew, Ju Long suspected they all knew the true reason Bun Ma was absent. Someone asked Prince Zuko how his day had been so far, and he went off on a rant about Bun Ma's skill at dumb festival games.   
  
"You survived," Koji said quietly as Engineer Zhen teased the prince about his turtleduck toy. "Things exploded and yet here you are."  
  
Over dinner the night before, Ju Long had bemoaned how the festival would end with a fiery disaster. It hadn't occurred to him the fiery disaster already passed with none worse for wear. Well, perhaps Bun Ma would face some consequences, but knowing her she wouldn't really be all that bothered. There was still the potential for everything to end horribly, but Ju Long didn't see it as inevitable anymore.   
  
"Would you believe me if I said today's been fun, even factoring in explosions?"  
  
Koji laughed and patted Ju Long's arm. "Considering I've been trying to convince you it would be fun since you told me, yes I believe you."  
  
The lanterns dimmed, drawing their attention to the stage. Prince Zuko hissed into the lull of conversation, "It's going to start! Be quiet!"  
  
"You're the one talking, Sir," Petty Officer Kazue said.   
  
"Shush!"  
  
The production was one commonly performed on Summer Solstice. It was a cautionary tale about taking Agni's gifts for granted, where a greedy firebender tried to hoard Agni's ray to himself. As misfortune befell upon the land, the Fire Lord swooped in to save the day and to ensure Agni could reach all his children.  
  
Barely five minutes into the performance, Prince Zuko crossed his arms and muttered under his breath, "The Agni actor sucks."  
  
Ju Long agreed, but it was still rude to say. "He could be an understudy."  
  
"He's acting like he's reading his lines from his palm."  
  
Prince Zuko went on, full of endless criticisms that were harsh but difficult to disagree with. Somehow, by the time the curtains fell, Ju Long was completely wrapped up in a debate over the quality of the performance and the effectiveness of the message they were trying to deliver. The rest of the crew scurried ahead to not get caught in the discussion, but Koji lingered nearby to help lead them back to the ship as they got distracted.   
  
"All I'm saying is, it's hard to appreciate the importance of Agni's monologues when the actor can't string a simple sentence together."

There was a slight chill in the air after the storm tempered the day's humidity. Neither Ju Long nor the Prince noticed the cooler temperature or the puddles they splashed through as their heated discussion continued.  
  
"It wasn't as if you couldn't understand him, though. Even if the delivery was awkward, there's no confusion about what he's saying!" Ju Long lifted a triumphant finger as he realized a point they hadn't touched on yet. "You can't argue the theatrical firebending wasn't a nice touch! The Agni actor was very graceful and made up for poor acting with his bending, surely."  
  
"I'll give you that," Prince Zuko said, crossing his arms around his turtleduck toy. "They were leaps and bounds better than the Ember Island Players, even with that shitty Agni actor. Ember Island Players just throw stupid ribbons around when they could be using real fire! I'd actually be curious to see how this troupe would perform Love Amongst Dragons."  
  
"I'd imagine there's quite a bit of fire involved with a play about dragons."  
  
The prince stopped walking, even his scarred eye managing to widen in his aghast shock. "You've never seen Love Amongst Dragons?"  
  
Ju Long paused next to him, running his hand through his hair self consciously. "Well, I've heard of it. But I didn't get the opportunity to see many plays as a kid. I was lucky enough to get in as a favor when my mom was commissioned for costumes for some smaller productions, but I've mostly only been able to read scripts. And even then, not that many. Sorry, I really shouldn't be discussing this as if I actually have the grounds for an opinion on theatrical perform-"  
  
"Nonsense, if you like plays then you're allowed to have an opinion no matter how little you've seen or read!" Prince Zuko started forward, steps sure as he led the way toward the docks. "I don't have Love Amongst Dragons with me onboard, but Uncle did pack some scripts for my schooling I can lend you when-"  
  
The prince stopped in his tracks once more, shoulders curling inward. He fidgeted with his turtleduck, voice so quiet Ju Long had to lean in close to hear. "When- When we're back on board, are you going to be scared of me again?"  
  
Oh spirits. Ju Long's chest went tight, a feeling he was used to around the young prince. It wasn't fear gripping at him now, but guilt. His shortcomings and behavior had impacted Prince Zuko enough he felt insecure. How could he possibly reassure Prince Zuko that a simple outing together had been enough to quell the last of Ju Long's overwhelming prince induced anxieties?  
  
"Prince Zuko," Koji spoke up, having turned around to join them. "Are there any rules prohibiting you from befriending those below your station?"  
  
Looking up from the ground, Prince Zuko's brow furrowed in his confusion. "What? I mean, no? I don't think so. Technically everyone is below my station. It's probably frowned upon if they're not noble maybe? But then again, I'm fairly certain Ty Lee isn't even from a noble family and Azula's allowed to have her as a friend... I don't know? I've never befriended anyone below- Well. Anyone that wasn't Azula's friend first."  
  
Koji's wince was well hidden, but Ju Long recognized it if only because he had a similar reaction. This had happened earlier today, Prince Zuko casually sharing something so _heart-wrenching_. At least Ju Long knew how sad his lack of friendship throughout childhood was. Prince Zuko didn't seem to be aware that the things he shared weren't common experiences.  
  
"So I believe it's safe to say there aren't any rules against it," Koji said. "In that case, Ju Long doesn't have anything to fear in being your friend, right?"  
  
Prince Zuko turned to Ju Long at such a startling speed, it took all his self-control not to take a step back in surprise. "We're friends?"  
  
"I- We-" Ju Long hated his inability to just _speak_ when he was the center of attention now more than ever. He knew what he wanted to say, but the words just wouldn't come out! The hopeful shine in Prince Zuko's good eye started to dwindle and Ju Long panicked. "If you want to be!"  
  
Hesitantly, Prince Zuko looked between Koji and Ju Long, as if searching for reassurance this was allowed. He smiled a small, gentle smile and nodded. "Today- Well, I had fun. With you. And talking about plays with you is fun. That's what friends do, right?"  
  
"Yeah, Prince Zuko, that is what friends do."  
  
"Zuko," the prince said with a growing smile. "No titles between friends."  
  
Ju Long laughed breathlessly. "Of course, sorry, Zuko. I can't wait to read those scripts."  
  
If Ju Long could go to the past and tell his seven-year-old self what just happened, he would never believe it. Ju Long, the boy with eyes a shade too green, a failure of a soldier, the man who could barely speak his mind on a good day, _that_ Ju Long became the first person Prince Zuko would call a friend of his own.   
  
A younger Ju Long probably would have had a near heart attack with that knowledge. Honestly, Ju Long from a day ago probably would have as well. But now, his heart only raced with a strange sensation of _pride_. There were so few moments in his life Ju Long could be proud of, but he knew this would always be a shining moment.   
  
Prince Zuko smiled at him with a wide, carefree smile that Ju Long put there.   
  
The sky lit up with a loud bang as the first firework of the night went off. Ju Long's content joy shattered instantly as he gasped. "I promised the general you'd be back in time for the fireworks! We have to hurry!"  
  
Rather than sharing his panic, Prince Zuko laughed. "It's fine, he'll understand I was with a friend!"  
  
"Still shouldn't keep him waiting," Koji said, urging them to break into a light jog back to the ship, fireworks lighting the surrounding sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1/5/21 edit: NOW WITH ART!!! I commissioned this amazing piece by sleazyjanet on twitter/tumblr !! You can rb it from my [atla sideblog](https://fanboyzuko.tumblr.com/post/639430143468781568/im-13-im-too-old-for-toys-famous-last-words) or rt from agn's [twitter](https://twitter.com/sleazyjanet/status/1346247546671390725?s=20)! 
> 
> me: i want a self indulgent summer festival chapter since i cant wear /my/ cute jinbei or yukata to a festival this year THANK rona  
> also me: but what if we throw in a dash of politics and worldbuilding while were at it  
> me 11k later: well that happened
> 
> also thanks to dragon of the yuyan series for putting turtleduck plush in my head bc its meant to be
> 
> but in all seriousness this chapter is what happens when i dont outline bc things get away from me so quickly lmao. like serious this is what this chapter looks like on my outline doc:  
> Summer Festival  
> ·Yeehaw
> 
> and... the next one isn't any better RIP! gonna start trying to plan it out better now that this is finished with my wonderful beta so!! next chapter sometime this coming week since its my summer holiday? well see....
> 
> also keep an eye on my tumblr @redriot bc i want to info dump everything i came up with for the summer solstice festival bc i had many thoughts on that aspect of worldbuilding


	5. Free Diving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I was so excited for this chapter, because we're introducing an important plot point that this whole series was basically built off of owo 
> 
> thank you jana for your endless help~

Life on the _Sazanami_ took an interesting turn after Zuko made friends. Iroh's days became a little quieter while the ship as a whole became so much livelier. It was rather lonely taking meals alone while Zuko joined his friends (or friend and unfortunate parasite, as Zuko adamantly claimed) in the mess hall. No matter, of course, an old man could happily embrace a few solitary evenings knowing his nephew was having fun.

They still shared breakfast together, but Zuko was quick to eat and run off to start his day. One morning, Zuko finished his meal and lingered, building up to say something he was unsure about. Iroh waited. It was always best to let Zuko work through his thoughts without pressure to work at any pace than his own.

"Uncle, I've noticed that Major Hifumi often takes her dinner in her office. And Petty Officer Myeong has a really annoying sense of humor I think you would appreciate."

Iroh set his tea on the table. Zuko refused to meet his gaze, fidgeting with the tassels of his cushion. Vermilion filled his cheek and the tip of his ear.

"Prince Zuko... Are you suggesting I invite Major Hifumi and Petty Officer Myeong to dinner?"

"I'm not suggesting anything!" Zuko exclaimed as he shot to his feet. "It's just an observation since I've been having dinner in the mess hall sometimes! I'm going to train now!"

Iroh never viewed himself as untouchable by those outside the noble class. As a general, he had prided himself in being stern but approachable and made an effort to mingle with his soldiers, but had never sought their company for _his own_ sake. Trust the wisdom of youth to see the flaws in Iroh's own thinking.

The following evening, Iroh did invite Petty Officer Myeong and Major Hifumi to join him for dinner. His days were still quieter with Zuko's attention shared with others, but the liveliness continued in his quarters as an old man made new friends of his own.

"You have to be _mobile_ , Seaman! Stop planting your feet like they're trees!"

"You're gonna play dirty and try to kick them out from under me if I don't!"

"Because you need to be sturdy but _light_ on your feet! Like this!"

Zuko executed the beginner form to generate a moderate size burst of fire. Gone were the days when Zuko struggled to call forth his flames. They were still smaller than what would be considered acceptable for Zuko's previous tutelage but remarkable for someone who'd had to start rebuilding from zero a scant few months ago.

Taking on a pupil of his own helped overcome the last of Zuko's mental blocks on his firebending. There was no chance to get caught up in his own thoughts while sharing his knowledge with Seaman Bun Ma. It certainly also helped Zuko's self-confidence to have someone grown struggling through the beginner forms as he had when he first learned them.

"Be careful to keep your left elbow raised a little higher, Prince Zuko," Iroh called from his comfortable position under an umbrella.

Bun Ma laughed at the criticism but quickly had to duck away from the small fireball Zuko flicked her way.

"That's minuscule compared to all your corrections. Now do it again with proper footwork this time!"

As they continued practicing, Zuko taking care to adhere to Iroh's note, Seaman Ju Long finally moved his pai sho tile. Iroh turned to the board but kept his attention divided on the firebenders.

"Ah, interesting move young man. I see you remember our last game."

While Ju Long was not as quick to flush as Iroh's dear nephew, his emotions were not nearly as guarded. He smiled a hesitant, hopeful smile and dropped his gaze to the game board. To think Iroh once believed young lives such as this man's were a tragic, yet inevitable cost to pay for victory. How many brilliant young souls had he thrown away for an unjust cause before his own loss made him see his errors?

"Prince Zuko, General Iroh!" Major Hifumi called down from the bridge. "There's a Fire Nation ship approaching starboard requesting permission to board."

Iroh looked out to the waters where a warship rapidly grew as it neared the humble _Sazanami_. From its mast flew the superior officer insignia of Commander Genkei's fleet and the colors requesting communication. There, unfortunately, was no polite way to deny the request.

"Shit, when did we sail back into that asshole's waters?" Zuko said with a disgusted glare.

Of all the things to pick up from his new friendships, Zuko's language was the quickest to show their influence. Iroh sighed wearily. "Prince Zuko, language, please."

"Well, he is one," Zuko grumbled. He turned toward the bridge reluctantly. "Hoist our response and drop anchor, Major Hifumi!"

He started to dismiss Bun Ma, but she had escaped the second it was clear training would be put on hold. Rolling his eyes, Zuko grabbed a towel from the ground next to the pai sho table and wiped the sweat from his torso. "Sorry your game is getting disrupted, Ju Long."

"It's fine, I wasn't going to last much longer anyways," Ju Long said with a glance at the board. Unlike Zuko, this young man had an eye for strategic games. Iroh was quite proud of how quickly he noticed the trap he had stepped into. Ju Long stood with a bow to Iroh. "Thank you for the game, Sir. I'll try to be a better opponent next time."

"Nonsense, I enjoy all of our games! You are a much better opponent than a reluctant nephew who is more likely to tip the board over in frustration than appreciate a well laid trap."

Zuko roughly pulled his training robe on and valiantly attempted to hide his embarrassment under the brim of his sunhat. "That was once! And I was eight!"

With a small smile, Ju Long bowed to Zuko. "Don't worry if you're not in the mood for dinner with us tonight. Good luck with whatever-" He paused, glanced to Iroh, then back to Zuko as he started to edge away. "Whatever- uh- unsavory people you might have to deal with. Bye!"

If only Ju Long's well wishes were unneeded. The _Sazanami_ was much too small for the larger warship to board with a gangplank. A transport boat, not much smaller than the _Sazanami_ , shot out from the side of the warship to pull up closer. The deck crew lowered the gangplank and the man who walked up made Zuko tense at Iroh's side.

So this must be the infamous Zhao.

"Prince Zuko. General Iroh." Zhao greeted them with perfunctory bows. His eyes trailed from the pai sho board Iroh left set up in hope this would be a quick exchange to Zuko's training garments and sunhat. The smile that spread across his face was far too smug for a man of his standing. "You seem to be enjoying your travels."

Zuko ripped his hat off and shoved it toward the nearest crew member. The stubborn set of his jaw spoke of nothing but trouble. Iroh placed a gentle hand on his nephew's arm as he stepped forward. "It's important to keep the mind and body sharp on these long journeys at sea, wouldn't you agree, Captain?"

"Hm, I suppose you would know. It's been _quite_ the long journey, has it not?" When Medic Koji had described the encounter with Zhao, he had made special note of how the man toed the line of disrespect. Even now, with Iroh present, Zhao's tone remained brazenly patronizing. "I would _love_ to hear about your ventures. Do you have a room to share a drink, or are all meetings taken on the deck?"

"Of course we have-"

"Splendid idea, Captain Zhao!" Iroh exclaimed, squeezing Zuko's arm to remind him to mind his temper. "Let us go to my quarters. I'll ask Seaman Shen to get us some fresh tea. I also would love to hear about your recent achievements!"

Thankfully, Iroh's small reprimand was enough to make Zuko retreat into a sulking glare as Iroh exchanged barbed pleasantries with Zhao. Talking with the man brought to mind the rumors Iroh had heard back when Admiral Jeong Jeong defected. It was so long ago now, before the siege when Iroh was still entrenched in nationalism. At the time, he thought nothing but ill toward a man he had once respected and called a friend. Iroh had forgotten about the rumors as to _why_ Jeong Jeong defected until now.

They said the man could no longer stomach the destruction his former students caused. No one wanted to point fingers, but Zhao's name came up the most when discussing those students. After learning about Zhao's careless firebending in the army from Koji and now meeting the man himself, Iroh possessed few doubts someone like Zhao could have led to Jeong Jeong turning his back on the Fire Nation.

"Why, Prince Zuko, you've been so quiet." Zhao peered over his tea, shifting the conversation toward Zuko with no warning. "Did you follow the information on the Avatar I gave you? I'm afraid I haven't heard any reports."

"Yes. I followed it," Zuko said through clenched teeth.

When Zuko did not elaborate further, Zhao grinned. "And what of it? Oh- rather silly of me to ask since you're still sailing, isn't it? A dead-end I presume."

"I didn't expect much to come of it." Zuko clutched his teacup to the point his knuckles whitened. "Turned out to be some kid talking big to his friends that got blown out of proportion."

"I'm ever so sorry to hear that. I truly hoped it would be a possible lead for you." Zhao drank and let his false condolences settle over them. With a sigh, Zhao lowered his gaze in mock regret. "I suppose any suggestions I could bring forth now would be seen as worthless as the first."

"Quit speaking in circles," Zuko snapped. "If you have information for me just share it."

Iroh resisted the urge to place his head in his hands. Whether it be in pai sho or a conversation, Zuko rarely saw the traps laid out before him. It was difficult to intervene before Zuko played right into his opponent's hands because Zuko refused to slow down and _think_ , leaving little time for Iroh to step in.

"Well, it's not information related to your search, per se... Really just a suggestion of where one could find _more_ information."

Zuko slammed his palms down on the table. "If it could help find the Avatar in any way, I want to know!"

The fire of the lanterns glinted off Zhao's teeth as he bared them in a predatory grin. Whatever Zhao's game was, he now had his victory in sight.

"Well, you see, back in my youth when I was serving under General Xu I stumbled upon a vast, hidden library. It possessed knowledge beyond one's imagination. If anywhere could provide insight on the Avatar, it would be there."

Anger bled from Zuko's posture as he leaned forward, eyes widening in youthful wonder. "A hidden library? Who knows what lost information could be behind those walls!"

Zhao nodded. "My thoughts exactly. It came to mind not long after we last parted ways, and I knew I would have to tell you of it next we met. However, I understand if you can't trust my word after-"

"Of course not! You were merely passing on rumors you had heard. Hardly any misdirection on your part!"

Zuko tried to contain his eagerness, but it spilled from him in waves. It fed into Zhao's triumph as he sat taller under Zuko's undivided attention. There had to be more to this than feeding Zhao's ego and feeling superior to a banished royal. Iroh frowned, waited for the second edge of the sword to make itself known.

"Where is this library hidden?" Zuko asked, nearly out of his seat in his excitement.

"Ah, I fear it is not just _any_ library," Zhao said. He did not attempt to feign sympathy, rather his grin grew wider yet. "It's a spirit library, buried in the Si Wong desert."

There it was.

"Sounds like something from a spirit tale, boy."

"That's what everyone's been saying!" Zuko threw his hands in the air and turned away from the trader. He was sick of this--sick of the dead ends and the condescending answers. Of course it sounded like something from a spirit tale, it was a _spirit_ library! "Thanks for nothing!"

As he stormed off, Uncle apologized on his behalf. Zuko had half a mind to yell at Uncle because Zuko _wasn't_ sorry for his behavior, and he was not taking his frustration out on unfortunate bystanders!

Well.

Zuko came to a halt at the end of the pier, arms crossed and lips pursed in a pout. Okay, fine, maybe he was taking his frustration out on unsuspecting traders and shopkeepers. But that was better than the alternative of giving in to his frustration and ordering an expedition into the Si Wong desert without any corroborating evidence to Zhao's claim.

Despite what Uncle thought, Zuko wasn't _stupid_. He may have gotten wrapped up in his excitement for a new lead after weeks of hopelessly drifting about, but it wasn't like he was going to blindly trust one of Zhao's tips again. There was a difference between believing there may be some truth to Zhao's library story and trusting the man. Zuko did not know the captain well, but Zhao did not seem creative enough to completely fabricate a spirit library.

If anything, the absurdity of the library's location made it all the more believable. Zhao clearly had it out for Zuko for some reason, so sending him out to wander the Si Wong desert would be a great way to mess with him. Uncle didn't follow Zuko's logic with that point. He tried to persuade Zuko to drop the library lead since he _knew_ it would be dangerous.

So what if he was walking into danger? The library was the most solid lead Zuko had gotten since he left the Eastern Air Stronghold. Zhao said the library's spirit collected written documents of all kinds. If anyone had written about what happened to the Avatar or where they were hiding, this library was the best bet of discovering such knowledge.

"Prince Zuko, have you consider-"

Zuko whipped around, teeth bared in a snarl. "No! I have not considered giving up on this! I need to ask elsewhere, maybe head inland closer to the desert and-"

"Ah, just what I was about to suggest," Uncle said with a pleased smile. "However, the further we travel from the coast, the less amenable people will be to speaking with us."

People were already reluctant to talk with him about the library. If they were any more reluctant, there would only be silence. Zuko squeezed his crossed arms against his chest. "Well, what do you suggest we do to fix that?"

"Hm, to start, we need a wardrobe change."

A gentle breeze blew down the road, rustling the leaves and leaving Zuko unsettled. The usual weight of his hair shifting with the wind and tickling his head was starkly absent. It felt _wrong_ to have his hair out of its phoenix tail and braided down to rest against his back. At least his clothes were easy to make peace with. The simple pants and top were a similar cut to Fire Nation casual wear, just in a nondescript dark burgundy trimmed in browns. He looked every part the ambiguous citizen straddling the line between Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation.

"A tea shop!" Uncle exclaimed, tugging on Zuko's arm in the direction of the sighted shop. "Let's begin our questioning here."

"You had some tea just before we left," Zuko protested in a quiet voice. Despite looking the part of a regular civilian, it felt like someone was going to call him out for this farce at any given moment.

Uncle laughed and dragged them into the shop. "You will always hear the best gossip over a cup of tea."

The shop was so small that the owner both made and served the tea. Zuko waited long enough for the man to pour Uncle's tea before beginning his questioning, not expecting much to come out of it and wanting to be done with this waste of time as soon as possible. It was dumb to ask some random tea shop owner- The man's expression lit up in recognition.

"Now why are you asking after that? If Wan Shi Tong _did_ exist, the tales say he took his library back to the spirit world."

Words escaped Zuko as he stared at the man in disbelief. Seriously? Just like that? Even Uncle couldn't conceal his surprise that it had been that easy! Zuko fought back his excitement and hoped his expression didn't betray him.

"You know about it? I heard about this library for the first time not long ago, but haven't been able to find anyone who can tell me more!"

The man laughed and shook his head. "I don't know much, kid, but I get a lot of travelers through these parts. I've heard one of those city academic types has been searching for Wan Shi Tong's library for years. Last I heard, hasn't made much progress."

"But they've been looking for it? It's real?"

"Well, that professor sure does think so."

Zuko couldn't contain his eager smile anymore. Who better to give him trustworthy information about this spirit library than an _academic_ pursuing it? Even when the tea shop owner couldn't recall the professor's name, Zuko was not discouraged. Finding a professor was infinitely easier than finding a buried spirit library.

And he was going to find _both_.

Sunlight filtered through the water, illuminating the quiet world of the ocean bottom. Fish darted out of holes ripped through metal walls. Pentapi raised their tentacles out of the burrows they fashioned out of waterlogged armor, curious about the strange creature swimming past. Euna's lungs burned for air as she followed the rope of her anchor back to her boat.

The muted peace underwater broke with a loud gasp as Euna breached the surface. Sea birds cried overhead while the swell of waves crashed around her. Euna threw her arms over the side of her boat, kicking lightly to stay balanced as she dried to her hands to take note of her latest observations in her journal. It appeared that a large projectile of some sort had pierced the deck and down through the hull, effectively spelling the demise of this ship. Surely the result of earthbenders, such a specific rock formation must still be somewhere near the ship.

After a few moments, movement on the shore drew her attention from the journal. A worker from the inn she was staying at waved frantically, then pointed at the small figure beside him. Oh? Was this the one asking around for Zei? Euna hadn't expected to encounter them so soon after hearing about them.

Euna waved back, then pulled herself into her small boat. It rocked dangerously underneath her, but Euna was well-practiced in keeping it balanced. She made quick work of raising anchor and rowing back to shore. The worker had already departed, leaving the mysterious inquirer to wait for her as she dragged her boat up the beach.

He was surprisingly young, which immediately quelled Euna's concern that Zei had managed to get himself into trouble. When word reached her of someone searching for 'the spirit library professor,' Euna had feared the worst. Zei was a naive, one-track mind sort of man, and Euna would not put it past him to accidentally upset someone in his travels. Granted, he still could have upset this kid, but the repercussions of such were sure to be much milder than offending a Fire Nation officer or Earth Kingdom noble.

The boy's face was shrouded by his comically large hat, but Euna could feel the intensity of his gaze as she turned from her boat. He stood uncomfortably rigid where the beach met the soil of the forest lining the coast. As Euna approached, she could see the glint of his eyes as he looked her over. Spirits, men were all the same no matter how young, weren't they?

"Never seen so much of a woman's body up close before, boy?" Euna asked with a taunting smile. She was not compelled to adhere to the standards of modesty the Earth Kingdom expected of their women, especially while diving. For a bunch of imperialistic bastards, the Fire Nation got it right with _something_ when it came to women's freedom of swimming wear.

"What? No! I'm not- I apologize for staring, but I didn't know someone so old could- Well, could be so muscular and fit. Most old people get all fat and lazy like my uncle-" The boy took a step back and raised his hands defensively. His hat fell back, exposing his wide-eyed panic and the gruesome scar marring half of his face. "Not- Not that I'm calling you old. I don't know how old you are! I just- You have a very athletic physique!"

Goodness, how old was this kid? Where was his guardian? Euna laughed and shook her head. "Not to worry, I am old and muscular. Which means I'm wise enough to know if you're bullshitting me and strong enough to pack a punch if you mean ill for Professor Zei."

To his credit, the boy did not recoil in the face of her threat. His panic of offending her dropped into a mulish glare as he crossed his arms and stood his ground. "If Professor Zei is the guy who's been looking for the Si Wong desert spirit library, then you have no reason to pick a fight with me. I just want to ask him what he knows about it. And for the record, you wouldn't take me down with a mere punch."

Oh, Euna liked this kid. She grinned and extended her hand to him. "Professor Euna, dean of sciences at Ba Sing Se University, unofficial supervisor of any professor or student doing field research. Professor Zei has been searching for Wan Shi Tong's library his entire career, for what purpose do you want to find it?"

The boy stared at her outstretched hand warily, then shook it with narrowed eyes. "What else does someone want to find a library for? I want to read stuff I won't find anywhere else."

"Hm, indeed. What are you hoping to read about..." Euna trailed off on a questioning note, an eyebrow raised pointedly at the boy. He stared back at her with a confused scrunch of his nose. "Your name, boy?"

"Oh!" His unscarred cheek flushed a vibrant red as he ducked his head to hide under the brim of his hat. "I- Uh- It's... Huizhong."

That... Was an interesting name. No wonder his reluctance to share it. Euna had never heard of it used as a boy's name before, but even then it was rather outdated. It had been popular in _her_ grandmother's generation and older.

"Well, nice to meet you Huizhong. Now, how about we continue this conversation back at the inn over some lunch? I've been diving all morning and I have a lot I want to ask you about."

Euna did not give Huizhong the chance to agree. She went back to her boat to pull on a light robe and sling her research bag over her shoulder. Huizhong stared in poorly concealed awe as Euna hauled her boat further up the beach into the treeline. The fact he was impressed due to her age, rather than her gender, endeared her to the boy. She was quite curious about his story.

"Are you here by yourself, Huizhong?" She asked, leading the way back to town.

"Oh no, my uncle is-" Huizhong's steps faltered. "Ag- Spirits. I forgot to tell Uncle where I was going when the guy at the inn said he'd lead me to you."

Oh to be so young and inconsiderate of the worry one could cause for one's guardians. Euna pitied the boy's uncle. In the short time Euna knew him, he had managed to put his foot in his mouth, implied he wouldn't be above picking a fight with her, and displayed enough attitude that Euna had no doubt he was an endless source of stress for anyone responsible for him.

"Shall we hurry back, then?"

Huizhong frowned. "It should be fine. He was talking about tea with a vendor when I left him. Knowing Uncle, he's probably _still_ talking and hasn't even noticed I left... But it wouldn't hurt to walk a little faster."

Waiting at the edge of town stood Uncle, who looked none too pleased with Zuko's disappearing act. It wasn't Zuko's fault that Uncle thought it was acceptable to waste time talking about local tea blends when they were _supposed_ to be asking about the library professor. Zuko couldn't believe his luck when the inn owner told Zuko that a professor was staying in town _and_ had told him to flag down anyone inquiring about the spirit library. After weeks of traveling around and asking anyone he could about the library and professor connected to it, this wasn't the first time someone had known of his search before speaking with them. This was the first time it actually got him closer to his goal, though.

So far, Professor Euna refused to speak any more about this Zei person, but she happily discussed her own research as they headed back into town. Something about admiring an Earth Kingdom scholar felt wrong, but there was no denying how _cool_ the woman was. Euna was at least as old as Uncle, but was at the peak of physical fitness. She had to be, to do regular free dives investigating old shipwreck sites! To make it even _cooler_ , the way Euna spoke about her work implied she was hiding her historical research behind marine biology research. Zuko didn't understand why she would need to, but it was cool nonetheless!

Uncle looked ready to lecture as Zuko grew nearer, so he called out before the old man could get started. "Uncle! I found someone that knows the library guy! She agreed to tell me about him over lunch, if that's alright?"

Directing Uncle's attention to Euna worked just as Zuko hoped, but for the worst reasons. Uncle took one look at the professor beside him and gave her that _disgusting_ besotted expression he got when trying to, ugh, flirt with women in towns they passed through.

"Ah, Nephew. Care to introduce us?" Uncle asked with a wink to Euna.

 _Ugh_ , gross.

Zuko scowled and gestured to Euna as he introduced her with the titles she had used for herself. He gestured back to Uncle with an exaggerated eye roll. "Professor Euna, this is my Uncle, Uncle-"

Oh Agni. Zuko couldn't call him Uncle _Iroh_ any more than he could have introduced himself as Zuko. He had panicked when Euna asked for his name, because he and Uncle never discussed _needing_ them! The only Earth Kingdom name that came to mind was Avatar Yangchen's earthbending master Guru Pathik had mentioned. Now he needed to think of _another_ Earth Kingdom name? That was impossible!

"Uncle," Zuko hissed. "What's your name?"

There probably could have been a better way to handle that. Uncle froze and Zuko could see the hint of panic in _his_ eyes. Yeah, coming up with names on the spot was hard! Euna looked between them judgingly. Crap, did Zuko completely break their cover story?

Rather than pointing at them and yelling Fire Nation, Euna put a hand on her hip and threw her head back in unrestrained laughter. She held her hand out to Uncle with a wide smile. "Call me Euna. Your Huizhong is quite the character."

Uncle snapped out of his stupor to take Euna's hand, then slowly raised it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. He gave her a disgustingly enamored smile. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Euna. Thank you, and please excuse my nephew. He is truly _quite_ the character, so wrapped up in his own mind he forgets his uncle does actually have a name, or to even consider his poor uncle before disappearing from town." Uncle shot Zuko a stern look, destroying any hope Zuko had that Uncle would forget about him running off. "Please, call me Sung."

Wasn't that one of the Earth Kingdom high generals? Jeez, Uncle was no better than Zuko at coming up with names! At least Euna accepted his explanation and led them back to the inn without further delay. She stood two heads taller than Uncle, but positioned herself at a slight angle as they walked to exchange sly smiles with him as they spoke.

 _Gross_.

The pair didn't leave any space for Zuko to interject and bring the conversation back around to this Zei guy. He didn't want to draw attention back to himself while Uncle was still cross with him, but this was getting ridiculous. Soon they were done with their meal and still, there was no end in sight of Uncle's admiring questioning about Euna's field of research. That _wasn't_ what they were here to talk about!

"Sorry, but can we discuss the spirit library now? Is there _really_ a professor that's been researching it? Do you know anything about it? If he thinks it's real, then it's not a complete waste of time to look for it, right?"

Euna leaned back in her chair, and away from Uncle, _ew_. Zuko hadn't noticed how close they were to each other. She grinned at his grimace but dropped it to adopt a serious expression. "As I mentioned, I'm the unofficial supervisor for anyone from the university doing field research. I keep tabs on them and make sure they're staying safe despite this war waging on around us. Professor Zei rarely gets involved with current events, but I still need to determine it's not against _his_ interests should I point you in his direction. So tell me, Huizhong, why are you seeking out a library fabled to possess knowledge lost to time."

"Oh I-" Zuko paused. He couldn't think of any reason to look for the library except for the truth. "I'm... looking for information on the Avatar."

It was a gamble, but Zuko didn't _think_ word had spread outside the upper ranks of the military of the banished prince's quest. Even if rumors had started to go around about the stipulations of Zuko's banishment, he doubted it would have reached Earth Kingdom ears yet. Thankfully, the gamble paid off, because Euna appraised him with a curious expression.

"Should the library be accessible outside of the spirit world, it only contains texts and knowledge that exist. It's been a century since Avatar Roku died, and there's been _nothing_ reported of a new Avatar. You're risking a dangerous quest for nothing."

How was Zuko supposed to argue that he needed to try regardless? Some random Earth Kingdom kid had zero motivation to seek out the Avatar no matter the risks. So what if there was nothing useful for the current Avatar, at the _least_ Zuko could learn more about the airbenders than the Strongholds had provided him with. Ah! That was it!

"Well, that's fine. I'm not looking for a _new_ Avatar." In his peripheral, Zuko saw Uncle silently mouth, 'you're not?' Zuko kicked him under the table. "I'm hoping to learn more about Avatar Yangchen, actually."

Euna took a moment to process his words, then for some reason _laughed_. "Oh, the name makes so much more sense now. Your parents must have been fans of Yangchen, huh?"

What the heck was she on about? Zuko furrowed his brow and was about to ask for Euna to explain, but Uncle placed his hand on Zuko's arm with a quick, silencing look.

"Indeed, indeed! My sister was a bit of an academic, herself, and was completely enamored with tales of Avatar Yangchen and her companions. So enamored that she was determined to name her child after Master Huizhong, not even budging when she birthed a beautiful baby _boy_!" Uncle chuckled and patted Zuko's arm. Oh. _Oh_. Zuko hadn't considered whether the name he stole was acceptable for a boy or not. Oops. "My dear Hui has been trying to carry on his mother's legacy by researching Avatar Yangchen."

Just like that, Uncle fabricated a great cover story. Zuko couldn't believe how easily Uncle not only smoothed over Zuko's mistake but established a believable motivation for Zuko to be on a perilous quest. His chest panged at the thought of using the loss of his mother as part of a lie, but the implication softened Euna's gaze.

"I admire your academic pursuits, Hui, but the desert is a dangerous place. Professor Zei has had many close calls in search of Wan Shi Tong's library, and he is an experienced anthropologist. You're young, there's no rush to venture out into the Si Wong." Euna's smile wasn't intended to be patronizing, but Zuko bristled nonetheless. She was treating him like he was some helpless _child_. "While we're no spirit library, Ba Sing Se University hosts a great number of texts. I'm unsure what we possess on Avatar Yangchen, but I'm sure it would be enough to get a healthy start to your-"

"I don't want to go to Ba Sing Se," Zuko snapped. Uncle squeezed his arm, but Zuko shook him off. "I doubt there's _that_ much of use there. Why waste my time when everything would be in Wan Shi Tong's library anyways? I've explored the Western _and_ Eastern Air Strongholds and I'm fairly certain climbing a mountain is way more dangerous than walking across some sand. If I can just _talk_ to this Professor Zei and plan accordingly, crossing the Si Wong would be a piece of cake!"

Silence settled over their table. Uncle sighed and placed his head in his hands. Euna's jaw hung slightly agape, but she shook her head and leaned across the table with a gleam in her eyes.

"Excuse me, are you saying you've been _inside_ two Air Temples?"

Zuko crossed his arms. "Yes? Uncle came with me, if you don't believe me. The airbenders weren't big on keeping records, so I couldn't find much about the Avatar... Yangchen. But there sure were plenty of statues of her."

Euna nearly knocked their dishes off the table in her haste to make room for her journal. She pointed the end of her charcoal stick at him with a wide grin.

"I'll make a deal with you, Hui. You tell me everything you can remember about the Air Temples and I'll send word out to all my professors to keep an eye out for you and to point Zei in your direction."

Seriously? That good luck charm from the solstice festival was working _miracles_!

"You have a deal!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> scholar zuko! scholar zuko! hes a NEEEEERDDDDDD
> 
> also... you bet your ass zuko took the time out of his day to try his hand at free diving with euna after getting the library information he wanted, much to iroh's dismay. stop stressing your poor uncle out zuko
> 
> AND! sidenote, huizhong seems to actually be more prominent as a male name in real life but im already attached to it and the running gag that zuko gave his alternate identity a girl's name, so im making the disclaimer now that in THIS universe, its predominately a female name after it was popularized by yangchen's earthbending master (peace sign)
> 
> no idea when next chapter will be up, but im aiming to finish this part this week while still on my summer holiday sooo! maybe in a couple of days? next chapter were taking a quick break from zuko's investigations to... a different investigation... heh
> 
> Oh! And typed up my [summer solstice info](https://redriot.tumblr.com/post/626236474870972416/) on tumblr and heres an [euna extra](https://redriot.tumblr.com/post/626248495771402240/) (plus world building thoughts) bc oops made another lady i love


	6. Hatchery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick break from Zuko's investigations to take a look at what the crew's been up to...

**Evidence File #1, Presented by Head Steward Haneul**

The day the _Sazanami_ departed from the Western Air Island, Prince Zuko approached Haneul with the request that no one enter his room. It was an odd request to begin with, but made stranger still that the prince had not said anything in the past few weeks while the ship had been docked at the island.

"Was something done to your displeasure, Sir?" Haneul asked, for that was the only logical conclusion he could come to.

Prince Zuko scrunched his nose. "What? No, I just don't want anyone going into my room."

Haneul, unfortunately, made it a habit to argue with superior officers who made his life more difficult. It was what landed him on the _Sazanami_. He was not about to stop now that his superior officer was a prince.

"Well, Prince Zuko, how are we supposed to do our job if we are barred from entering your room?"

Surprisingly, the prince did not shout back a harsh response. He stared at Haneul, uncovered eye wide as if the concept was a surprise. "I don't need someone tidying up every day. This is a ship, not the palace. I'm perfectly capable of keeping my quarters to my liking without assistance. I'm not a child."

That... was a surprisingly reasonable argument. Haneul was not about to protest cutting back on unnecessary tasks with a crew shortage. His department was half the size it should be for a ship even this small, and that was considering the seamen reluctantly assigned to the stewards department. However...

"Sir, there is actual cleaning that should be done at least weekly. And my staff needs access to your room to gather laundry for washing."

Prince Zuko nodded. "Okay, I'll set my laundry out in the hall on laundry days and you can organize times with me for cleaning so I know when it'll be."

While the request itself was strange, the prince was actually cooperating on assisting Haneul's workers. That was possibly stranger than the initial request. Haneul burned with curiosity.

"Is there a particular reason for this, Sir? I assure you, my staff is trustworthy and you don't have to fear for the safety of your possessions-"

"I'm not distrusting anyone!" Prince Zuko interrupted, volume raising and echoing off the metal walls. "There's no reason- Just- I said so, okay! Discuss with me when the steward department needs access to my quarters, otherwise, _no one_ enters!"

The prince turned on his heel and stomped away, leaving Hanuel to stare at him no less confused. Perhaps it was a royal thing. Hanuel had never worked for anyone of such a high station before.

When he relayed the orders to the rest of the department, they agreed it was rather strange. It must indeed be a royal thing, was their conclusion.

This piece of evidence did not garner any bets but established the basis for the investigation that was to come.

**Evidence File #2, Presented by Seaman Shen of the Stewards Department**

Several weeks out at sea, General Iroh approached Shen. That, in and of itself, was not out of place. Shen was the primary steward for the royal pair, and General Iroh liked to make special requests for his tea at mealtimes. What put Shen on edge was the question General Iroh proceeded to ask him.

"Managing Price Zuko's room is part of your duties, correct?"

Shen nodded as nerves roiled in his stomach. "Uh, yes sir. Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh, not to fear, Seaman Shen. Neither I nor Prince Zuko are dissatisfied with your work." The general laughed and Shen relaxed. "I'm actually curious if you had any insight as to why my nephew has been oddly secretive about his sleeping quarters... I had thought it was typical teenager behavior, barring a parental figure from their room but... I just discovered he's prohibited _anyone_ from entering."

Not even General Iroh knew what this was about? Shen fought to keep a calm front as his thoughts ran wild. Everyone in the stewards department had decided it must be simply a matter of noble particularities, but if General Iroh was just as confused... this was specifically a weird Prince Zuko thing.

"Apologies, Sir, I'm afraid I don't know either. The prince just seems to want privacy."

General Iroh hummed and thanked Shen for his time, leaving the issue unresolved. He walked away in contemplative silence. The moment General Iroh rounded the corner and was out of sight, though, Shen broke out into a grin.

The prince was extremely polite and neatly left his laundry in the hall first thing in the morning on designated laundry days without reminder. Whenever it was time to clean the interior of his room, Prince Zuko never hovered. He would greet Shen, then leave him to his task. It did not seem as if the prince looked down on the stewards or distrusted them...

If it wasn't a weird royal thing, there was only one logical conclusion: the prince was hiding something, even from his uncle.

With this piece of evidence, the stewards department placed the first bets as to what Prince Zuko could be hiding. As there was not much evidence to work off and it was treated mostly as a joke, the bets ranged widely from naughty scrolls to a pet to a secret treasure discovered in the Air Stronghold.

**Evidence File #3, Presented by Communications Coordinator, Petty Officer Riho**

When Riho got her reassignment as a communications coordinator, she was initially ecstatic. She had been so sure consequences were in her near future after talking back to the coordinator of her old ship about his treatment of the messenger hawks. As it turned out, her promotion was a punishment. Seeing as she was the _only_ one on the _Sazanami_ responsible for communications, that meant she was still stuck doing the usual lower-level jobs regardless of her fancy new title.

It was a light punishment, considering Riho actually enjoyed working with the messenger hawks and there wasn't much communication between the _Sazanami_ and the rest of the navy. Riho got the fancy title, better pay, and hardly had to do any extra work she wasn't used to. Who could ask for a better deal?

Several weeks out at sea now and Riho had mostly established a consistent schedule for herself. So when she walked into the messenger hawk corner of the cargo hold to find Prince Zuko trying to pet Mithaee, it was rather unexpected. She stood to the side and watched, perplexed but amused as the prince failed to convince the grumpy bird to accept his affections.

"Despite their names, Chonch is the more lovable of the two," Riho said after the prince hastily pulled his fingers away from Mithaee's snapping beak.

Prince Zuko twirled around to face her guiltily. "Oh! Uh- Petty Officer Riho- Sorry, I was hoping to catch you here, but I guess I was a little early- Um-"

"You know I'm usually on the bridge, right?" Riho asked as she started gathering her hawking supplies. "Do you have a message to send out?"

"Ah- Yes, I know that. And um- No I don't need your service, but rather uh, your knowledge?" Prince Zuko trailed off as he shuffled out of her way, narrowly missing Mithaee about to take a bite out of his ear. He swallowed back a yelp of surprise, then scurried to the edge of the enclosure with wide eyes. "I was curious about the hawks!"

Riho hummed but didn't pause her preparations to face the prince. She had heard enough from her friends to know that Prince Zuko respected the crew's responsibilities and didn't expect them to drop what they were doing to address him.

"What about the hawks?" She asked as she switched out the birds' mews jesses for flying jesses.

"Do they ever lay eggs?"

While she didn't have to put her task on hold, Riho still placed Mithaee's jesses down to give the prince her undivided attention. He met her gaze with a stubborn tilt to his head. What in the _world_ brought on this line of questioning?

"Yes. That is how birds reproduce."

In the dim lighting of the cargo hold, it was difficult to tell if the prince was blushing or if it was a trick of the light. There was no denying the way he fidgeted with the bottom of his top or the way he shifted his weight from foot to foot though.

"Yeah, of course. I know _that_. I just meant- Let's say, for curiosity's sake, one of our birds laid eggs. How would you care for it?"

Riho stared at the prince. He stared back, unflinching.

"Sir, you do realize both our birds are male, right?"

There was no trick of the light with how vibrantly red Prince Zuko went now. He spluttered through a string of words so fast Riho couldn't keep up before he turned tail and left her staring after his retreating figure full of confusion. What in the _world_ had just happened?

No matter how perplexing an interaction it was, Riho still had a job to do. She shelved the strange exchange for later, and almost forgot if not for Shen lamenting the lack of information about what happened with Commander Genkei the other day.

"Apparently the captain hasn't confided to _anyone_ about the details! General Iroh has mentioned it in passing during meals, but not enough to explain why Captain Hifumi is suddenly so soft on the prince. I want to know what he did!"

"Oh hey, speaking of the prince, I had the _weirdest_ encounter with him this afternoon," Riho said, drawing the attention of everyone at her table. "It was rather cute, now that I think about it."

Shen leaned across the table, eyes shining at the promise of new gossip. "Oh? Do share with the class, Riho dear."

As the sole member of the communications division in the operations department, Riho felt more welcome amongst the lower ranks of the stewards department in her free time. The officers in the operations department were kind but didn't relate much with someone who spent more time handling animals than operating a ship. Because of this, Riho was welcomed with open arms to the steward department's social circle.

So when Riho finished recounting her story, the others held no qualms including her in their suspicions and mock betting pool. With the submission of her evidence, Riho put in her own tame bet that the prince was hiding a bird egg.

**Evidence File #4, Presented by Head of Weapons Department, Ensign Nari**

With the _Sazanami's_ diminutive size came an interesting layout of room assignments. Sleeping quarters, storerooms, and offices were placed wherever convenient without regard for what was nearby or one's station. As such, Nari's office was situated beside the sole staircase that led up to the level that housed several storerooms and Prince Zuko's quarters.

Nari had not put much thought into her office's location in relation to the prince's room until he was absent for a week at the Eastern Air Island. There was very little activity going up the stairs beside her office the entire time Prince Zuko was gone. Once he came back, activity on the stairwell drastically increased.

The only logical assumption was that Prince Zuko returned to his room regularly throughout the day. Again, Nari did not put much thought into this fact. The prince was free to do as he pleased, but it did seem rather out of character for a workaholic like him to be taking regular breaks.

Now that she was aware most footsteps outside her office belonged to Prince Zuko, Nari began to notice a pattern. He went to his room often enough that she could keep track of time not by the path of the sun streaming through her window, but by the prince passing by her door.

Right on time, Prince Zuko headed up to his room a half hour before lunch was served. Nari started wrapping up her report when the patter of someone else running past and up the stairs echoed through her office. When the same quick steps soon clattered back down the stairs, Nari couldn't restrain her curiosity. She poked her head out her door to see Seaman Shen rushing past with a laundry basket.

Seaman Shen faltered when he caught sight of her and came to an antsy halt. "Ah, Ensign Nari! Do you need something? Could it wait? I'm running behind on my duties today."

"Sorry, no, didn't mean to disrupt your work," Nari said with a wave of her hand. "Just curious, did you happen to speak with the prince?"

"Wait- Is he in his room right now?"

Nari nodded, even more curious. Now that she thought about it, she had heard that Prince Zuko always set his laundry out at sunrise. There was no reason for him to return during the day to do so, let alone every day, _multiple_ times a day.

"Yes, he always returns to his room throughout the day. I've been mildly curious as to what he's up to, to be honest."

Every trace of urgency bled out of Seaman Shen's posture as he placed the laundry basket on the ground. He stepped closer with raised brows and a mischievous smile. Nari also forgot about her work as Seaman Shen caught her up with the steward department's theories and Petty Officer Riho's recent contribution.

While Nari had not given much thought to the position of the sun and Prince Zuko's activity before, it was the first thing to come to mind when she considered him having an _egg_. So Nari happily threw her own theory into the betting pool. She was of the opinion Prince Zuko would be partial to reptiles, thus it must not be a bird egg, but some other creature he was hoping to hatch.

**Evidence File #5, Presented by Seaman Yuan of the Deck Department**

Nightwatch was the worst of the shifts to draw for the week. It was dreadfully dull and completely ruined one's sleep for the following days. What was the point of patrolling when the _Sazanami_ wasn't an active warship? There was no way anyone was going to waste their time sneaking on this rust bucket, but orders were orders, so here he was.

Because Yuan thought nightshift was a joke, he rarely paid attention to his surroundings as his feet carried him through his patrol route. Lost in his wandering thoughts, the sound of someone talking in a deserted hallway in the dead of night startled him more than it should have.

With a quick assessment of his location, Yuan easily placed the source of the echoing voice. He was in Prince Zuko's hallway, and sure enough, the closer he was to the prince's room, the clearer the voice became. This didn't quite come as a surprise as there were several accounts shared amongst the deck department about overhearing the prince while they patrolled during the night shift.

A few brave souls lingered long enough to try to make out what Prince Zuko was saying. There were a few reports of him supposedly performing monologues from plays. Other reports came back with the assertion that the prince spoke to himself.

But now Yuan knew about the conspiracy the stewards department had started through Bun Ma, who heard about it from Ensign Nari. The stewards believed the prince was hiding something, and apparently they were convincing enough for Ensign Nari to throw in her own bet that Prince Zuko had a snake egg or something like that. He wasn't very clear on the details, Bun Ma was not very good at sharing gossip.

So with these thoughts in mind, Yuan called on the bravery of his coworkers and lingered in the prince's hallway to eavesdrop.

"-the worst!" The prince's voice raised to a shout, which echoed through the hall. "So rude--I know!"

Sounded like the prince was complaining about his encounter with Captain Zhao. Although Medic Koji kept all his interactions with the prince private, to the displeasure of the _Sazanami_ rumor mill, Prince Zuko had started yelling to General Iroh about what had happened the moment he boarded the ship. Naturally, everyone knew about it come dinnertime. The prince seemed to be talking about it to someone again, but there was only silence in response to his complaints.

"Sorry---look cold--- keeping---up--- getting worked up--- jerk---"

Yuan had every expectation for the general to slip out of the prince's room, but no one left and no more sound carried through the closed door. Some of the crew were assholes and joked that the prince went crazy after getting burnt, which would explain him talking to himself. Perhaps one could make that assumption after overhearing such a one-sided conversation, but Yuan was an animal person. He used to talk to his pet pygmy leopard the same way Prince Zuko had been just now.

Several more members of the night shift supported Yuan's theory. Once their schedule allowed it, they presented their evidence to the stewards department and placed their own bets as to what animal, from fish to canines to birds, Prince Zuko had hidden in his quarters.

**Evidence File #6, Presented by Steward Jingyi**

A loud rumble bounced through the hall outside Prince Zuko's room. Jingyi froze, mop in hand and jaw agape. _No way._

The deck department was adamant the prince had an actual animal, not an egg. She was of the opinion he could just as easily be holding a conversation with an egg as he could a live animal. After all, mothers spoke to their unborn children all the time. It wasn't so odd to view an unborn creature as part of your life already. Not to mention, there was _not_ enough mess in the prince's room to support the pet theory.

But that _definitely_ sounded like an animal.

The rumble carried through the hall once more. Jingyi slowly rested the mop against the wall, then tiptoed closer to Prince Zuko's room. She glanced around to make sure she truly was alone before pressing her ear against the door. As the sound echoed against metal walls yet again, Jingyi jumped away with wide eyes. Was it coming from the prince's room? It _had_ to be! Some large animal was sleeping in the prince's room! How was he hiding it?

That evening, Jingyi presented her new finding and changed her bet to the prince hiding a platypus bear in his room. It was a rather ridiculous theory, but others also started to get worked up with the evidence she shared.

Those aware of Bun Ma's preference for napping in Nari's office, and how sound traveled in odd ways between the two floors, remained silent. A bit of confusion would increase their chances of winning the bet, no need to interfere with those unaware.

**Evidence File #7, Presented by Seaman Shen of the Stewards Department**

There was no rest for the stewards department. Even on holidays such as the Summer Solstice, they still had some duties to complete before joining the festivities. Worse yet, they still had to resume work as normal the day _after_ celebrations while the remainder of the crew could recover. Shen stifled a yawn as he dragged himself up the stairs to Prince Zuko's room, tired from a rowdy night on top of it all.

Things had gotten rather wild after the chef broke out the _Sazanami's_ alcohol supply for the fireworks show. Shen was fairly certain he saw Seaman Bun Ma slipping the prince some of her drinks when the general wasn't looking. Because of this, he wasn't all that surprised to see Prince Zuko had either forgotten about laundry day, or was still asleep.

Shen knocked lightly, as he did every morning to announce breakfast. Today, he deviated somewhat from the script. "Sir, breakfast will be ready shortly, and could you pass me this week's laundry now?"

When the prince didn't respond, Shen knocked harder and called the prince's name. A startled yelp came from inside, followed by not one, but _two_ thumps hitting the floor. It was hard to make out what the prince was saying, but his voice sounded panicked and Shen could swear he heard an apology in there.

"Uh, Prince Zuko? Is everything okay in there?"

"Yes! Fine! Don't come in!" Prince Zuko shouted back in a shrill voice "Ugh- I have a headache. I overslept. Sorry, laundry. Wait one second-"

Again, Shen could make out a panicked tone to Prince Zuko's muttering as he gathered his laundry. The door swung abruptly open to grant Shen the sight of a sleep mussed prince that was immediately blocked by a face full of laundry.

"Thank you! Let my uncle know I'll be late to breakfast!" Prince Zuko said, slamming the door shut as quickly as it had opened.

Shen stared at the closed door, his hungover mind slow to process the rapid sequence of events. A soft crooning came from inside the room. It was completely improper to eavesdrop like this, but Shen was tired and couldn't help himself. He pressed his ear closer to the door.

"Sorry, didn't---drop--okay?"

Ever so slowly, so as to not expose himself for his poor behavior, Shen stepped away from Prince Zuko's room and headed downstairs. It seemed the deck department, and Jingyi, were on to something. Surely the prince had a live animal with him for that kind of reaction.

**Evidence File #8, Presented by Head Engineer Zhen**

Summer Solstice was the best day of the year. It was the _only_ day an entire ship was assured to have time off. Zhen loved to witness the absolute nonsense that occurred when a whole crew was let loose with no responsibilities for the day. The _Sazanami_ did not disappoint in the least. Between a stressed uncle and arson, Zhen couldn't have asked for better entertainment.

When the prince joined their small group in the theater tent without the youngest members of the crew that were supposed to be responsible for him, Zhen shared an amused look with Kazue. They had been beside themselves when the general allowed Prince Zuko out of his sight without an _actual_ adult accompanying him. Nari hadn't even tried to defend her young friend and had warned their group to keep an eye out for trouble.

Hearing about the archery range fire from Prince Zuko's perspective was more amusing than witnessing it. The boy seemed to have completely forgotten he _ran away_ from the scene of the crime as he happily explained Seaman Bun Ma's firebending technique to Kazue.

Seaman Ju Long joined them not long after the prince, looking rather guilty when the prince asked where Seaman Bun Ma was. Zhen took pity on the kid and pulled Prince Zuko's attention back.

"Other than firebending, which you do _every day_ , kid, what'd you do?"

Prince Zuko huffed. "Sucked at games, that's what! Bun Ma was annoyingly good at everything we played! I didn't win a single thing. Not like I _wanted_ anything, mind you."

Zhen grinned at the turtleduck toy nestled between his crossed arms. "Oh? Then what's that?"

"It- Bun Ma gave it to me!"

"Really? And why would she do that if you didn't want anything?" Zhen asked, fighting back laughter as the prince blushed and hugged his toy tighter to his chest.

"I didn't say I wanted it. Bun Ma just saw me staring at it," Prince Zuko muttered. "But only because my mother liked them."

Zhen's smile softened. Honestly, this kid. His disingenuous attitude had no right being as endearing as it was. She shook her head with a laugh. "Sure, and nothing to do with how much you like them."

The lights dimmed, cutting off the prince's annoyed glare.

All things considered, Zhen would have forgotten about their conversation if she hadn't overheard Seaman Shen discussing the newest piece of evidence in the "What's Prince Zuko Hiding?" conspiracy at lunch the following day. Although it had started exclusively in the stewards department, the discussion gained traction around the whole ship after the deck department got involved. Zhen had been enjoying hearing about it, but never felt compelled to join in.

Until now, that is.

That afternoon, Zhen put herself into the running with a bet down for Prince Zuko hiding a turtleduck in his room.

**Evidence #9, Presented by Petty Officer Myeong of the Operations Department**

Somehow, Myeong's life went from trying to keep his head down to having dinner with the Dragon of the West. Things got muddled in between when Myeong realized he may have been done with the war, but as it turned out, he was still a man loyal to the ideals his nation claimed to have. Prince Zuko showed Myeong a glimmer of hope for the future, how could he run away now when helping the prince could actually bring something good to the Fire Nation?

"-and he thought he was being so sly in giving them treats behind the owner's back!" General Iroh laughed, bringing his story about Prince Zuko's encounter with a pair of eelhounds to a close. "He seemed quite interested in the creatures, wanting to pet them aside -- that boy would pet anything he could. They would be rather useful while traveling, much more inconspicuous than komodo rhinos..."

Major Hifumi smiled wryly into her glass. "Sorry, Sir, but our budget absolutely cannot handle taking on an eelhound."

"Ah, alas, I was afraid you would say so," General Iroh sighed dramatically.

Because Myeong's life had turned around so drastically from when he first boarded the _Sazanami_ , he was now integrated in the daily gossip. Despite his now regular dinner with two of the highest-ranking individuals on the ship, Myeong was still low enough rank that he was accepted as a peer amongst the rest of the crew. Given the heated debates he'd been privy to on the matter of the prince's secret, he couldn't help but to ask.

"Sir, did Prince Zuko seem interested in _raising_ an eelhound?" Myeong asked.

General Iroh raised an appraising eyebrow. "Why, yes, now that you mention it, most of his conversation centered around eelhound eggs and pups for a good while after that."

Myeong found himself in a difficult position right then. He had insider information that could contribute to the growing theories about what the prince was keeping in his room, but it felt like a breach of trust to use said information. If the general gave his permission, however...

Once General Iroh and Major Hifumi were as knowledgeable as Myeong about the current evidence stacked up against the prince, General Iroh burst out laughing. He found the whole situation amusing and ended up wanting in on the betting pool.

So, unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, Myeong offered his new evidence and placed a sizable bet, backed by General Iroh, on Prince Zuko having an eelhound egg.

**Evidence File #10, Presented by Seaman Bun Ma of the Deck Department**

Every good earthbender knew when to wait and when to act. It was for this reason that earthbenders were _fantastic_ gamblers. Bun Ma may be a firebender, but she adhered to earthbender philosophies first and foremost. She listened to the evidence slowly compiled as to what the prince could be hiding. None of the presented theories made much sense to her, so she continued to wait until the final piece of the puzzle fell into place.

"How fast do you think dragons could fly?" Prince Zuko asked, tracing one of the dragons on his jinbei while he and Ju Long waited for Bun Ma to win her latest game.

"Do you think dragons were omnivores?" He pondered, swirling his spoon around his soup as they shared dinner together.

"I wonder if Princess Akari ever raised any dragons from their egg," he said absently as he and Ju Long read through a play about a boy raised by spirit animals.

"Would dragons be able to swim?" He asked, staring out at the waves as he and Bun Ma took a break from firebending.

It wasn't obvious, but the prince was _obsessed_ with dragons. Whenever he was relaxed with only Ju Long and Bun Ma as company, random ponderings about dragons came from him again and again. The fact that he kept this obsession secret from everyone else only made it all the more obvious when he brought it up.

Bun Ma did the math. If the prince had supposedly picked up his mysterious egg when the _Sazanami_ left the Western Air Island, then it either already hatched or was still incubating five months later. After discussing her observations with Nari, they agreed no regular creature would still be in its egg after so long and despite what some evidence suggested, Prince Zuko's behavior did not support him caring for a live animal.

The time for waiting was over, and Bun Ma was ready to place a bet of her own. She was even kind enough to allow Nari to change her own bet based on Bun Ma's observations, great friend she was.

"Oi! Shen!" Nari called across the mess hall. "You're the one keeping track of the bets, right? Get over here, we have something new to add."

Ju Long rolled his eyes and turned his back to them as he started discussing something entirely unrelated with Koji. They were both complete _bores_ that refused to join in on the fun because it would be "taking advantage" of their relationships with Prince Zuko. When they tried to guilt Bun Ma out of placing her bet, she happily argued that Prince Zuko denied her friendship anyways.

Once Bun Ma finished recounting her supporting claims, Nari grinned and asked Shen to change her bet.

"Make it three shore leave shifts on the prince being just a kid who found a pretty rock in an ancient place and thinks it'll hatch into a dragon if he takes care of it. How much are you betting, Bun Ma?"

"Woah, slow down," Bun Ma said, holding her hands up before anyone thought she _agreed_ with Nari's insanity. "In what spirits' names are you going on about? That is _not_ what I meant when I said Princey has a dragon egg."

Nari frowned. "What the fuck did you mean, then?"

"Uh, exactly what I said? He has an actual dragon egg." Bun Ma huffed and rolled her eyes. Honestly, she thought Nari had been _following_ her train of thought. Instead, she came up with the most ridiculous theory. "I'm putting in _three_ weeks worth of work that Princey has a true to Agni dragon egg in his room."

All the surrounding tables went silent as people turned to stare at Bun Ma in disbelief. Even Ju Long and Koji no longer pretended to be ignoring the gambling going on around them as they openly stared at her. Nari groaned and dropped her head to the table. Shen grinned.

"Alright, I have Ensign Nari down for the prince is a dumb kid and Seaman Bun Ma down for a mystical dragon egg," he said with a poorly concealed laugh.

"Bun Ma, you cannot be serious," Ju Long sighed.

Why was everyone acting like she was as crazy as Nari? Bun Ma blew a strand of hair away from her eyes with a huff, then went back to eating her lunch. "I said what I said."

"All of you are ridiculous," Koji said with a shake of his head. "How are you going to verify who wins? For all you know, there have been _multiple_ animals under Prince Zuko's care, and he's released them with you lot none the wiser."

Again, the surrounding tables stared at them, but this time in contemplation. Shen stroked his bare chin with a hum.

"You know, that actually sounds like the most plausible theory so far," he said. His devilish grin returned as he slid closer to Koji. "Wanna place that bet?"

"No! I've already made it clear what I think about this dumb betting pool."

Although Bun Ma and Nari's bets were the most outrageous for vastly different reasons, they were largely overshadowed by Koji's insight. Many crewmembers wondered just how, indeed, they would discover the truth.

**The Not So Grand Conclusion**

Music and good cheer washed over the gathered crew on the _Sazanami's_ first music night. General Iroh happily bragged to any who would listen how he had convinced the lieutenant of the last outpost they stopped at to wager over pai sho a collection of musical instruments retrieved from an Earth Kingdom ship. The general had then put his winnings to good use and immediately started organizing a 'morale boosting event.'

Everyone knew it was less to boost the crew's morale, but rather Prince Zuko's. After the prince _finally_ made some progress in his quest for the spirit library, he was even more frustrated than before when the next step continued to take time. There was little to do but continue on as he was, asking around for the professor connected to the library and make his Earth Kingdom persona visible enough to be tracked down.

When General Iroh proposed the idea to Prince Zuko over breakfast, Shen was certain the plan would fail. The prince had been _particularly_ adamant about not attending, and Shen had expected that to be it. He'd underestimated the power of Prince Zuko's growing friendship with the youngest members of the crew, though, because between Seaman Ju Long and Bun Ma, the prince soon conceded to joining in on music night.

Shen understood why Prince Zuko had been so reluctant once the general shoved a tsungi horn at him. The poor kid was _mortified_ when General Iroh announced how good he was at playing the instrument. After much needling from the crew, Prince Zuko gave in at last and played out of anger because Seaman Bun Ma had been following him for half the night playing the tsungi horn _horribly_.

The prince really _was_ good at it, as it turned out.

Festivities started to wind down when Prince Zuko stood with a yawn and bid farewell to his friends. Before he could leave, Shen watched with growing horror as Seaman Bun Ma did a headcount, then looked to the prince with a grin.

"Oh hey Princey, before you go and while we're _all_ here, there's been something a lot of us have been wondering about."

All music stopped.

Prince Zuko stared at her blearily, too tired to notice the sudden intensity on deck. "Who's wondering about what?"

Seaman Bun Ma leaned back on one hand as she flapped the other carelessly. "Oh, just a handful of us have noticed some things here and there. You would not _believe_ some of the ridiculous theories they've come up with to explain things."

Shen's heart dropped. She was _not_ doing what he thought she was doing.

"So, mind backing me up here and confirming you've been hiding a dragon egg in your room?"

The collective groan everyone released could have been its own instrument. Great, the whole game was up. They had been discussing for a while how to approach the prince about his pet, but of course Seaman Bun Ma had to ignore them and do her own thing.

"I- What are you talking about?" Prince Zuko asked, eyes wide and alert. He looked around at the gathered crew not so subtly watching their conversation. "Th-That's absolutely insane! I don't have _anything_ in my room! What could possibly make you think that? I'm- I'm going to sleep! GOOD NIGHT!"

Faster than he usually allowed himself to escape embarrassing situations, Prince Zuko fled from the deck and all the prying eyes. Shen groaned and threw a piece of bread at Seaman Bun Ma.

"Good going, kid. Now we're never going to find out the truth at this rate."

Rather than shrinking under everyone's annoyed glares, Seaman Bun Ma shrugged and let her head drop on her shoulder. "What are you talking about? That sure did look like the reaction of someone hiding a dragon egg to me."

Despite Seaman Bun Ma's assertion that she won the bet, The Great Prince Conspiracy came to a close with the general agreement that Medic Koji was probably on to something. This had been going on for so long with no _solid_ evidence, it was highly likely the prince was holding different animals only for a short time. No one was ever going to win this bet, it seemed, so the crew ended up letting it go soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahaha this chapter was a delight to write! Hope yall had fun reading~
> 
> next chapter wraps up this part! no idea when well seeeee


	7. Shaoling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol oops this WAS going to be the last chapter, but then there was a lot more to say than i initially thought ;P 
> 
> thanks to jana as always<33

The crunch of something pushing through the underbrush was much louder than the usual passing rabbit deer or hog monkeys. Zei glanced up from his map with a small frown. Hopefully, the creature was more interested in reaching the lake than in snacking on a defenseless professor. As the crashing grew closer, Zei considered the speed in which he could scale a tree. Not very fast, and it wouldn't do him any good if what approached was a predator capable of climbing.  
  
Before Zei had to come to a decision, a clearly _human_ grumbling accompanied the cacophony of branches getting pushed aside and underbrush being trampled. While relieved he wasn't about to test his luck with an unknown creature, there was still the question as to who was heading his way. His local guides weren't due to return for another week or so. Perhaps there was an urgent message or-  
  
A young teenager broke out of the treeline, gently trying to shoo away a persistent sugar glider. The boy caught sight of Zei and froze. Without having to avoid the boy's waving arms, the sugar glider was able to land on his robes. It scurried into a pocket, then made a fast escape with half a biscuit as the boy realized what was happening.   
  
"Selfish asshole!" The boy shouted after the fleeing animal. "You had your share, that was for someone else!"  
  
"Nephew, language, _please_ ," said an elderly man as he meandered out from the thick of the forest. "And I _warned_ you about feeding the wild animals."  
  
Zei laughed, drawing the family's attention to him. "I have also made the same mistake of falling for how cute the sugar gliders are when they beg for scraps-"  
  
"You!" The boy yelled, standing straight as he pointed at Zei. His wide-brimmed hat flopped aside and allowed sunlight to chase shadows away from his face. A large burn scar splayed out from his left eye. It was undoubtedly healed but still looked tender. "Are you Professor Zei?"  
  
"Why yes, I am," Zei said on reflex. Then the strangeness of the situation hit him.   
  
Here he was, in the middle of a forest on a sparsely populated island, and the boy just _happened_ to stumble upon Zei and knew his name? Zei narrowed his eyes and surveyed the pair closer. The scar easily distracted one from taking in the rest of the boy's features, but those sure were some _golden_ eyes. "Do I know you?"  
  
"No, but I know of you. What can you tell me about the spirit library in the Si Wong desert?"  
  
"The spirit library..." Zei clapped his hands together with a bright smile. "Oh! You're the Fire Nation colony boy Professor Euna wrote to me about!"  
  
When Professor Euna sent him word that a young, aspiring scholar from the colonies may cross paths with him to ask about Wan Shi Tong's library, she had not mentioned just _how_ young said aspiring scholar was. Neither had she mentioned the notable scar, but Zei supposed it was in rather poor taste to discuss such a thing over a letter.  
  
"Colony... boy?"  
  
Ah, perhaps it had been tactless to mention that. Zei raised a placating hand. "No need to fret, we have our fair share of academics that have escaped from the Fire Nation back at the university. You'll find we're very accepting of anyone with a passion for knowledge, regardless of their background!"  
  
"What do you-"  
  
The boy's uncle laughed as he placed his hand on a scrawny shoulder. "Ah, it seems we've been outed by Euna's superior observational skills. You don't need to argue, Nephew. As you heard from the kind professor here, he does not mind that we came from the Fire Nation colonies!"  
  
This was clearly a sensitive topic Zei managed to step right into. The boy looked equally ready to run and to fight. He settled for a sulky pout as he crossed his arms.   
  
"Whatever. Who cares where we're from. I want to hear about the library." After a sharp look from his uncle, the boy deflated and added, "Please."  
  
Zei laughed. "You're in luck, I could use a break from my current search right about now."  
  
After a quick introduction, Zei welcomed Hui and Sung to his meager camp. Set up on the shore of the island's vast lake, Zei had little to offer in terms of hospitality. His tent was suitable only for cover while sleeping, and his makeshift rock table for his maps and notes had only the sandy ground for seating. Sung offered to brew tea and pulled a kettle and pack of tea from his bag. As the old man stoked life back into Zei's campfire, Hui sat at Zei's rock table, eyeing the papers curiously. Despite the boy's abrupt demand for information, he did not immediately dive into questions about the spirit library. Instead, he inquired after the research laid out before them.  
  
While finding Wan Shi Tong's library was Zei's lifelong aspiration, his passion did not wane in the face of discovering other lost relics of time. Zei was all too happy to spread a reproduced map out to point to the large blue swirl in the middle of the island.   
  
"I'm searching for the lost city of Hkan Myahoet. My research indicates _this_ island is where it should be—and I've found some artifacts to support this theory!—however, the city itself remains elusive."  
  
Hui frowned as he leaned closer to the makeshift table. "I've never heard of this... Hkan Myahoet."  
  
"Nor would I expect you to! It is a civilization that dates back to the discovery of bending itself."  
  
"Like the Sun Warriors!" Hui exclaimed, looking at the scattered papers with a new appreciation. "But what did these people bend? Who did they learn it from? I know the original firebenders were the dragons, who taught it to the Sun Warriors. And- um, earthbenders learned from badgermoles, right?"  
  
"Yes, yes, you are correct! And the airbenders learned from the sky bison as the waterbenders from the moon."   
  
Zei shuffled through his papers to pull out a reproduction he'd made of an ancient scroll. The drawing depicted a towering city with a wide, spiraling river running through it. At the front gate of the city stood a crab-like statue. Zei had spent weeks with the biology department at the university trying to find what species of crab the statue portrayed.   
  
Its spiral shell came to a point like a shark fin. Large claws raised skyward, but overlapping flippers, not legs, jutted out from underneath the shell. None of the university scientists could pinpoint the species. In the picture, water shot out one claw into a pool. A rock column came up from the ground toward the other claw.   
  
"My research indicates this was a civilization of earthbenders _and_ waterbenders. I suspect they learned from an extinct creature that could bend both elements."  
  
Generally, this was where Zei's cohorts would laugh. They implied that because he was a nonbender, he was incapable of forming opinions about bending history. That was crazy, they liked to say, as only the Avatar could bend more than one element. To which Zei tried to argue that the Avatar was the only _human_ capable of bending multiple elements. Why should human rules apply to creatures of old that existed in a time when the spirits mingled freely in the mortal realm?  
  
Laughter did not come from this young, aspiring scholar.   
  
"A creature that could bend both elements," Hui said in awe as he reached out to touch the drawing, but flinched back with a guilty look. "Um- Do you think there could be more? Creatures like that and people that learned from them?"  
  
Zei's cheeks hurt from the size of his smile. So few people entertained his bending theories, let alone asked for more. He reached back into his tent to pull out his journal.   
  
"I suspect so! I don't have all my notes with me on that topic, but I do have my sketches," Zei said as he set his journal down on the paper-covered rock. He pointed to the first drawing of a rodent gliding by its massive ears. "I've seen depictions of this creature seemingly earthbending and airbending."  
  
Once Hui had gotten a decent look, Zei picked up his journal and quickly flipped to another page. This particular theory got him the most slack from his peers. At first glance, it appeared Zei merely drew a dragon without wings. Such imagery was not uncommon in artistic motifs throughout history, but all historic, _scientific_ accounts of dragons had wings.  
  
"My findings have led me to theorize there was once a subset of wingless dragons that could firebend and _airbend_."  
  
From the way Hui stared blankly at him, Zei feared his enthusiasm was about to be shot down yet again. It had been years since someone had shown interest in this theory. Zei knew he shouldn't have shared about the wingless dragons, that's where he always lost people-  
  
"Were there civilizations based on those creatures like the one you're looking for here?" Hui asked, expression still oddly blank.   
  
Zei hummed and put his journal away to open his world map. Was Hui truly still following Zei's theory? Or was this young man simply more polite than the academics back at the university?   
  
"I could be interpreting ancient texts wrong, of course, but I believe there was another civilization - supposedly located near the Sun Warriors - who learned firebending and airbending from the lung dragons, as I've been calling them. However, it was precisely due to this civilization's proximity to the Sun Warriors that records have all but expunged them from history."  
  
Hui slowly reached out to hover his finger over the Western Air Island. His voice shook as he asked, "Could it have possibly been there?"  
  
"Well, I don't see why it _couldn't_ have been. If this civilization truly existed, they were primarily nomadic people. They traveled the world, appearing in records of ancient ruins I've discovered all over the Earth Kingdom. Their settlement would have been small and, I believe, used only for raising their young, human and dragon alike."  
  
"That's what Princess Akari must have been searching for!" Hui shouted as he jumped to his feet with an exuberant smile. "The spirits must have shown her dreams of that civilization and wanted her to find it! So she went to the Western Air Island, which is how she met Avatar Yangchen!"  
  
This was certainly an unexpected reaction. Zei grabbed his journal and turned to a blank page, ready to question Hui more about this connection he'd apparently made. A soft cough interrupted them before Zei could begin. The campfire was several paces away from his workspace, so as not to risk his documents to stray embers. Hui's uncle, Sung, sat beside the now lit fire, drinking the tea he had offered to make. Zei had completely forgotten about the man, so wrapped up in discussing his research as he had been.   
  
"Let's not get Professor Zei's hopes up with so little evidence, Nephew," Sung said, a hint of confusion in his pensive tone. He poured two cups of tea. Before Sung could push himself up, Hui was beside him and bringing the cups over. Sung helped himself to more tea as he appraised his nephew. "I'm not sure I follow your logic in connecting the professor's civilization with Princess Akari."  
  
Zei accepted his tea but did not drink yet. His attention was solely on Hui, who fidgeted with his cup and refused to meet his uncle's questioning gaze.   
  
"Well, you remember what Guru Pathik said, right? Princess Akari was looking for a lost _heritage_." Hui shrugged, downcast and bereft of his earlier joyful confidence. "What other heritage could a firebender seek on an airbenders' island than one like this air and fire civilization?"  
  
"It is a sound theory indeed!" Zei exclaimed, quick to defend this burgeoning academic mind. While it was important to gather evidence before _presenting_ research, there was nothing wrong with getting excited about a hypothesis. He smiled up at the boy. "Earth Kingdom education tends to focus on Master Huizhong's contributions to Avatar Yangchen's legacy, so I have never heard this tale of Master Akari's lost heritage. Is it something you learn through Fire Nation education in the colonies? What more can you tell me of these spirit dreams?"  
  
"Oh- Um- That's just about all I know," Hui said, deflating further yet. Where Zei had been trying to encourage the boy, it seemed he only managed to dampen his spirit even more. Suddenly, Hui straightened with a mildly manic shine in his eyes. "I can't believe I got so distracted! That's why I'm here. I want to find that spirit library, so I can learn more about Avatar Yangchen!"  
  
Zei laughed with a small shake of his head. He also had forgotten about the purpose of Hui's arrival. "Well, young Hui, I share with you any knowledge I have that may help you find more evidence to support your hypothesis."   
  
"R-really? Just like that?" Hui asked as he resumed his seat across from Zei. "I had to make a deal with Professor Euna to even reach you. And she said finding this library is your goal in life. You don't care if I find it before you?"  
  
Such a mindset was a pitfall many of Zei's associates back at the university fell prey to. He drank his tea and faltered for an answer as he had to take another sip of possibly the best cup of tea he'd ever had.  
  
"This is delicious," Zei said with an appreciative smile to Sung, who nodded back with a sage grin. "But, I digress, yes, I don't mind! Does knowledge decrease in value the more it is shared? No at all! I will not deny I would be envious should you find Wan Shi Tong's library where I have only failed until now, but ultimately I would be joyous to hear of your achievement. The answers you would find within those walls would aid not only your search but those like me that would benefit from your discoveries!"  
  
With that out of the way, Zei donated a page of his limited paper supply for Hui to take notes, along with the firm suggestion Hui invest in a field journal. Every proper academic needed quick access to jot down their discoveries and ideas. Several hours and many cups of tea later, Zei declared Hui knew as much as Zei did about Wan Shi Tong's library and the Si Wong desert. They may have gotten sidetracked discussing ancient civilizations and Zei's frustrating search for Hkan Myahoet, but thankfully Sung didn't seem to mind the delay.   
  
"Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge," Hui said with a deep bow. His hands flickered to form a Fire Nation flame, but he caught himself at the last second. He needed to be more careful about hiding those habits from being raised in a Fire Nation colony, but Zei could see from Sung's tired but fond stare that Hui was in good hands. "I'll be sure to look into your multiple element bending creatures when I find the library, and to send copies of my notes to the university so you can stick it to those jerks who don't believe you."  
  
 _When_ he found the library, what a cheeky thing, but Zei didn't doubt Hui's confidence. Something about this boy made Zei believe he could achieve the impossible.   
  
"I would also appreciate directions to the library, while you're at it." Zei laughed as he stood and returned Hui's bow. "Safe travels, and I hope you have better luck with the sandbenders than I did."  
  
The family of two turned to leave, but Hui hesitated, stopping to look out at the large lake behind Zei. "You know, I bet it would be laughably easy for a city full of earth and water benders to move their entire home underground and underwater."  
  
Zei watched in a numb shock as Hui grinned, waved, and took off ahead of his uncle through the forest. That- Surely- The spiral of Hkan Myahoet's river spread out to a circumference only marginally smaller than the island's surprisingly _shallow_ lake. Zei's working theory as to the city's disappearance was spirit involvement, but-  
  
Laughter bubbled up out of his chest as Zei frantically pulled his notes and maps out once more. This boy had the makings of a _superb_ researcher!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1/14 edit: now with art! This [beautiful commission](https://fanboyzuko.tumblr.com/post/640143940191911936/im-searching-for-the-lost-city-of-hkan-myahoet) was done by [delfisdoodles](http://delfisdoodles.tumblr.com) 💕
> 
> jazz hands surprise! World building!!!!!
> 
> look up jerboa bc thats what the earth/air creature is based off and theyre so FUCKIN cute
> 
> and wow I love Zei now ahaha i decided last second to go from his POV and wow what a good nerd
> 
> next chapter WILL be the last of this part for realsies this time ! when? maybe in a couple of days? if we're lucky.


	8. Creel Limit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew this is it! finally finished with this part! thank you jana for helping me get through this unplanned mess every step of the way lmao

Today was a bad day.   
  
Zuko never spoke up on bad days, no matter how terrible the pain was. If it weren't for Medic Koji, Iroh possibly never would have _noticed_ Zuko continued to experience pain from his burn. Iroh should have known better. He was an old man, an experienced general, and had seen far too much of what life after grievous injuries tended to be. Optimism had blinded him though, allowed him to fool himself into thinking Zuko's recovery was complete and the suffering was over.  
  
Although Zuko stubbornly pushed through the worst of his pain, Iroh learned what signs to look out for. Lack of appetite, sensitivity to light and sound, reclusive behavior, shorter temper than usual—all so small and easy to miss when a determined teenager tried his best to act as if nothing was troubling him. The last thing Iroh wanted to do was make Zuko's day worse when he was already struggling. Unfortunately, there was no avoiding this conversation.   
  
After meeting with Professor Zei, Zuko wasted no time in getting the _Sazanami_ headed back to the Earth Kingdom mainland. Although the professor was not welcomed by the majority of the sandbender tribes, he kept tabs on their activity in hopes he could convince them to guide him once more. There was no stopping Zuko's enthusiasm when Professor Zei divulged that one of the tribes made a yearly trip to a wealthy Earth Kingdom city to discuss trade deals and that the yearly meeting was due to happen in a few weeks.  
  
Iroh should have tried harder to discourage the idea that Zuko would be combing through the desert in a month. The questionable success in coming to an agreement with a sandbender tribe aside, there was the matter of the _Sazanami's_ budget. A few weeks was much too short a notice to fund an expedition of unknown length into the Si Wong desert. Despite the cruel facts, Iroh was weak and did not have the willpower to dampen Zuko's uncharacteristic optimism just yet. There had been the slimmest possibility that Iroh could access his personal funds to bring Zuko's hopes to reality, so Iroh had clung to that possibility.  
  
Even as he tried to cajole an accountant at the last Fire Nation outpost on Zuko's itinerary, Iroh _desperately_ grasped at the chance he wouldn't have to crush his nephew's dreams.  
  
His desperation did not yield results.   
  
Maybe if Iroh tried sooner to let Zuko down gently, he would not have to be breaking the news on a bad day. There was no more putting it off. They were due to set sail come morning for the drop off points from which he and Zuko would travel by land as Sung and Hui. As it was, that journey would not be happening anymore.   
  
At the very least, Iroh did his best to ensure Zuko would be as comfortable as possible on a bad day while receiving this difficult revelation. Heavy curtains blocked out harsh sunlight and the lanterns were the lowest they could be without sputtering out. He warned Major Hifumi to keep her voice down, and to prepare for an exceptionally eruptive reaction from Zuko. Medic Koji prepared a medicinal tea, and while its effectiveness was unknown due to Zuko's unwillingness to reveal his symptoms, it also wouldn't hurt.   
  
Zuko entered the study, saw Major Hifumi seated at the table, and immediately was on edge. He greeted them with proper pleasantries, then rigidly sat. No one wanted to be the first to speak up. So of course, Zuko took it upon himself to push through the heavy silence.   
  
"Is there something wrong with the ship? The crew? Are we going to be delayed in our departure tomorrow?"  
  
Iroh and Major Hifumi had discussed at length as to how they would approach this. Everything they planned fled from Iroh's mind in the face of Zuko's defeated tone and the slouch of his shoulders, as if he had been expecting things to go awry.   
  
"Sir, I'm afraid that we cannot afford to go forward with our current plans," Major Hifumi said, disregarding their intentions to ease Zuko into this. She slid the ship's balance book across the table for Zuko to look through. "No matter how we budget it, we simply do not have the funds for this trip. Not unless you withhold the crew's pay for the month."  
  
"What? No! I would never!" Zuko grabbed the book. He waved a hand to the lanterns without a second thought, enlarging the flames to better read. If Iroh didn't know to look for it, he would have missed Zuko wince at the sudden brightness and the stubborn furrow of his brow to ignore his discomfort.   
  
Major Hifumi warily watched Zuko flip through the book. It wasn't a matter of if Zuko would notice the discrepancies, but how quickly he would.   
  
"Of course not, Sir, I didn't think you would want to," she said. "I just want to stress what it _would_ take should we adhere to meeting this deadline."  
  
"This doesn't make any sense!" Zuko exclaimed, turning the book around to face Iroh and Major Hifumi. He jammed his finger over a deposit entry. "Why is last month's stipend so _low_? It should be twice the amount. How are we affording to feed the crew, let alone pay them as it is?"  
  
Iroh laughed, though there was little cheer in this situation. "Things are not quite so dire, Prince Zuko. While the crew's pay has been docked some to sustain our travels, we've at least been receiving full rations at supply posts."  
  
" _What_? How is this the first I'm hearing about this? Why were you-" Zuko snapped his mouth shut, eyes widening. He tore through the balance book, looking for what, Iroh was unsure. Whatever he wanted to confirm, Zuko found it and looked up, hands shaking slightly as he held the book. "This is my fault, isn't it? Our first payment was normal, but everything since has been too small. It's because I yelled at Commander Genkei. You warned me about his influence, you said we relied on the goodwill of naval officers-"  
  
"Prince Zuko," Iroh cut him off. "This is _not_ your fault. I'm afraid Commander Genkei was going to make things difficult for us regardless of your behavior. You were kept unaware of our financial situation because I _didn't_ want you to feel guilt for something beyond your control."  
  
Zuko didn't seem convinced, but Major Hifumi spoke up before he could argue his complicity in their financial woes.   
  
"No matter the hows or whys, the fact is we cannot support this trip into the Si Wong within the time frame you've set out for us. In a few months, General Iroh's money order could get through from his personal funds. In case that falls through, we can start budgeting to save up enough to afford-"  
  
"I don't _have_ a few months!" Zuko shouted as he slammed the book shut. He recoiled from the sound and had to take a moment to steady himself. With a deep breath, he carried on. "Professor Zei said it's near impossible to track the sandbenders' movements outside of these few times of the year when they leave the desert. If I don't make it to intercept them at this meeting, who _knows_ when I'll be able to find them again? Won't it cost even more in the long run to keep searching for them?"  
  
"You're likely right on that point, Prince Zuko. However, it's a long term cost we will need to accept." Major Hifumi spread out a map of the land they needed to travel to reach the Earth Kingdom city. "This plan relies heavily on your Earth Kingdom cover, and we cannot take any chances of you being discovered so far from Fire Nation lines. So you cannot take the komodo rhinos and traveling on foot will take weeks from the nearest neutral port, thus you would miss the sandbenders. Hiring transportation would clear out your entire budget for the trip."  
  
"So what? We don't need to hire transportation to travel back to the ship. We can camp and Chef Xue can pack us enough rations to survive off of and it would let me talk with the sandbenders and maybe organize another time to meet them once we have more money and-"  
  
"I'm sorry, Prince Zuko." Major Hifumi bowed deeply, nearly touching the ground with her forehead from her seated position. "As a commanding officer, I would _never_ allow a team to travel into enemy territory undercover without a firm exit plan and emergency funds. I know you outrank me on this ship and could order otherwise, but I hope you understand I have nothing but your safety in mind in postponing this operation."  
  
Iroh's chest clenched at the sight of Zuko's unrestrained dismay. His teeth dug into his bottom lip as his brow furrowed and the shine of threatening tears reflected the lamplight. For Zuko to be brought to _tears_ in the face of this ultimatum spoke volumes of the pain he must be in on this bad day. There was so little Iroh could do to soothe either of his woes.   
  
"Prince Zuko," Iroh said, voice wavering as he reached out for his hurting nephew's hand.   
  
Zuko pulled away as he shot to his feet. "I understand the situation. If you'll please excuse me."  
  
The haste in which Zuko departed had Iroh _aching_ with the desire to follow. But he understood his nephew. One attempt at comfort had already been pushed away, another would have Zuko lashing out.   
  
"I hate this," Major Hifumi muttered.  
  
Iroh sighed as he patted the woman's shoulder, at least he could provide her with some small comforts. "As do I, Major Hifumi, as do I..."

"Augh!"   
  
Zuko ripped a _stupid_ decorative tapestry off his wall and threw it to the ground. It wasn't nearly as satisfying as he had hoped, but he was too exhausted to destroy anything else to relieve his anger. With a drawn-out groan, Zuko collapsed on his bed and curled around the comforting warmth of his egg.   
  
This all _sucked_. He had been so close. So _fucking_ close to accomplishing something! For all he explored the Air Strongholds, nothing substantial had come from his efforts. Other than his egg, but his egg wasn't going to help him find the Avatar. He'd wasted his time following down a false Avatar lead. Then had spent longer still without any direction.  
  
The library was supposed to change all that. It was something _tangible_ Zuko could get to. Even as he wandered searching for evidence the library existed, and then wandered more in search of Professor Zei, he had been wandering with a clear _purpose_. When Professor Zei told him about the sandbenders and how he could easily contact them within the month, it seemed like all the pieces finally fell into place. Talking to the sandbenders was the final hurdle to actually searching for Wan Shi Tong's library.  
  
Of course it had been too good to be true. Of _course_ it had! Now there was yet again one more step in the arduous process of achieving anything resembling success.   
  
How could Uncle and Major Hifumi have kept the reduced stipends a secret for so long? Through Zuko's ignorance, he likely made saving all the more difficult. Surely there had been plenty of expenses Zuko could have gone without when gathering information. Uncle hadn't needed to buy tea in all those tea shops. They could have packed lunch instead of buying from a shop. So many small things could have added up to make up for the _Sazanami's_ strangled budget.  
  
If nothing else, Zuko would have known better than to get his hopes up!   
  
He groaned again as if that could possibly release the overwhelming mess of emotions thrumming under his skin and sending his thoughts haywire. Frustration—with himself for getting his hopes up, with Uncle and Major Hifumi for treating him like a child. Anger—at himself for pissing off Commander Genkei, at fucking Genkei for sending word out to withhold the _Sazanami's_ rightful pay. Disappointment—because how else would he feel after _stupidly_ getting his hopes up? Which then looped back around to the frustration of course. And overwhelming despair—it draped over him like a weight, whispered dark thoughts that if he couldn't find a _library_ , how could he ever find the Avatar, ever expect to go home?  
  
Worse of all was the weakness that threatened to take over in the face of everything. Zuko wanted to cry, to give up and just lay in bed for the rest of the day. His stupid scar ached. It made his head fuzzy, made it hard to think, made it hard to overcome the temptations of giving in and being weak, if just for a little while.  
  
No, Zuko was not going to give up.  
  
Money didn't _have_ to come from the ship's monthly allowance. Surely Zuko had some dumb, fancy robes he could sell for a decent price. If he could raise enough for an emergency fund, then Major Hifumi would have no reason to worry about him and Uncle. Zuko nestled his egg against his pillow, then slowly rolled off his bed with a groan. Now that he had given in to lying down, it was difficult to get up again.   
  
His trunk sat in the corner of his room, untouched except for when Zuko hid his egg in it so Seaman Shen could come in to clean. Servants had packed for him when he left the Fire Nation, a fact made obvious by the number of _useless_ articles of formal wear that Zuko had no use for out at sea. Once Zuko recovered enough to return to his room and assess the contents of his trunk, he'd pulled out all his practical clothes and left the trunk to collect dust.  
  
While selling the robes themselves probably wouldn't yield much success, there had to be fancy ornaments of some sort that Zuko could remove and sell. He would have to pull someone with him to the market to help haggle before the day ended, but it was possible.  
  
How had Zuko ever worn such ostentatious clothing with confidence? He tossed another heavy robe behind him with a scowl. The finery laid in the ornate embroidery and golden stitches, neither something Zuko could easily pawn. All this excessive fabric had been so hard to move in and was so impractical with all of its layers. Armor was easier to get into than this nonsense!  
  
Zuko shoved his arms to the bottom of the trunk, with every intention to haul the whole pile of stupid ornate clothes in one go, but his hand hit something bumpy and cool to the touch. That held promise. Maybe it was a stupid decorative piece or-   
  
A grinning blue mask emerged from swaths of red fabric.   
  
What? But- Zuko struggled to breathe as he pulled the mask closer for inspection. Almost invisible to the eye was a patch of blue a hue other than the rest of the mask. When Zuko was six, he had dropped his mother's mask and scratched the paint. He had been so distraught and was certain Mother would be furious with him. Instead of getting upset, Mother had laughed it off and helped him paint over the small scratch.  
  
This was, without a doubt, Mother's theater mask.  
  
It should have been back at home, hidden behind a tapestry in Mother's locked quarters. The servants certainly hadn't packed it in his trunk. Even if Zuko had been lucid enough to pack for himself, he wouldn't have thought to sneak into Mother's quarters to bring the mask with him. Uncle didn't know the mask existed, there was no way he could have slipped it into Zuko's trunk-  
  
No _way_.  
  
Zuko's breath hitched. Those stupid, stubborn tears welled in his eyes yet again. It was harder to push them back this time, as his chest swelled with affection. The only other person who knew about Mother's hidden masks was Azula.   
  
Azula, his cold, distant sister with a mean streak that taught Zuko how to push back his tears. The same girl who would sooner shoot a blast of fire at him before she expressed any sort of fondness for him. And yet, she was also the same girl who barged into Zuko's room occasionally to vent and only calmed when Zuko pulled her into a hug. He always got a little singed afterward, but Azula always came back when she needed it. She was a sister that refused to express her fondness but had other ways of reminding Zuko that she was still his _sister_.  
  
After rough firebending lessons, she would taunt him, but still help him work through the forms after his instructors gave up on him. When Zuko needed a moment of weakness to cry, Azula somehow always _knew_. Once he was done, she showed up with something inconsequential to complain about to get his mind off whatever was troubling him.   
  
_"Stop crying about her already, Zuzu! It's for the best Mother is gone. She was just holding you back and making you weaker."_  
  
 _"What right do you have to say that? It's your fault she's gone! If you hadn't done what you always do and spouted nonsense lies, Mother wouldn't have heard you and did whatever she did because you were lying about Father killing me!"_  
  
 _"Well, I'd rather have her gone than for Father to have killed you!"_  
  
It was over this very mask that Azula proclaimed with tears in her eyes that she would rather have him alive. There was no understanding Azula's mind, but Zuko could only conclude she'd snuck this mask into his trunk to reaffirm that proclamation.  
  
Burned, banished, and disgraced Zuko may be, but he was _still alive_ , and Azula would never say it in words, but she was _happy_ he was.  
  
The unbridled _joy_ Zuko felt as he came to this conclusion was his breaking point. There was no holding back his ugly sobs as he curled around the same mask he'd cried over once before. Azula was not here to pull him out of his moment of weakness this time, so Zuko cried until his eyes ran dry and his head _pounded_. Sleep was not a decision he made, but one made for him.  
  
Sheer exhaustion brought on a dreamless slumber, curled up on his floor surrounded by the finery of a life he may never return to at this point. As Zuko clawed his way back to consciousness, he could only laugh at himself. He was all talk. Always talked so big, aimed so high, and yet here he was, unable to scrounge up something to help fund his goals. Instead, he cried over a theater mask and fell asleep on the floor.  
  
The Dark Water Spirit definitely never struggled with carrying through with his intentions. Even if he was painted as a villain, the Dark Water Spirit did everything he could to reunite the dragon emperor and empress and made them better rulers for it. If only Zuko had half the conviction as the Dark Water Spirit...  
  
Zuko sat up, eyes wide as he stared at the grinning blue mask in his lap. There was something Zuko could do. Even if he was painted as a villain, it would be the _right_ thing to do.   
  
Now the question was, did he have any black clothes?   
  
  
  
  
Cinder Outpost saw little enemy engagement. Located on a small island, the Earth Kingdom Army posed no threat. The Earth Kingdom Navy was a joke and if it tried to attack the outpost, any number of the docked warships would defend it. Because of these factors, the guard rotation was extremely lax compared to other locations.  
  
If someone were to sneak in, a guard startled by the wind blowing in through an open window would not immediately be suspicious. She would laugh and blame an earlier shift, then close the window and proceed to forget about it.   
  
Following this same hypothetical line of thought, if an intruder tried to enter the head accountant's office, they would find it unlocked, without a guard in sight.  
  
Should this hypothetical trespasser go through correspondence between the head accountant and several high ranking officers positioned in the surrounding seas, they would uncover a malicious embezzlement scheme. The funds of unsavory crews were being withheld and relocated into the personal accounts of these officers, along with a cut allocated for the head accountant. The official report, naturally, failed to mention these reassigned funds.  
  
So, if an intruder got this far and happened to have an altruistic nature, it would be all too easy to go through the head accountant's desk and find his official seal. If this _hypothetical_ person had an education on military reports, forging letters from the head accountant would be _laughably_ easy.  
  
However, no one broke into the Cinder Outpost. Who would ever do such a thing? Since no one broke into the outpost, no one forged back pay documents for several ships. Clearly the head accountant had a change of heart, weighed down by guilt for his actions. His change of heart had the fortunate timing of occurring before one of the ships impacted by the embezzlement scheme left port.   
  
A frantic messenger rushed to deliver the _Sazanami's_ withheld payments as the sun broke over the horizon. A very confused Seaman Yuan accepted the sizable chest of coins and the head accountant's apology letter for the misplacement of funds. He brought it to the captain's office, unsure as to what the protocol was in this sort of situation.   
  
As a firebender, Captain Hifumi was already awake and thus did not take long to assess the matter at hand. While the letter and actions from the head accountant were suspicious, there was no denying his seal, nor the official runner who delivered the ship's rightful pay. She sent summons for General Iroh and Prince Zuko, who were also already awake with the sunrise.   
  
Both expressed surprise at the sudden and fortuitous timing to receive their missing money. Captain Hifumi did not miss the dark circles under Prince Zuko's eyes, nor how forced his surprise appeared. But, of course, no one had broken into the Cinder Outpost, let alone the banished prince of the Fire Nation.   
  
"Well sir, you know what this means, right?" Captain Hifumi said as she rapped the lid of the coin chest with her knuckles.  
  
The sunrise paled in comparison to Prince Zuko's smile. The Ember Island Players were the highest caliber of actors in comparison to Prince Zuko's feigned innocence.   
  
"Why, doesn't this mean we have the funds to go forward with the Si Wong expedition?"   
  
"How fortunate for us the head accountant discovered our missing payment before we set sail." With a bemused smile, Captain Hifumi nodded to the speaking tube that led to the bridge. "Would you like the honors of giving the order to set sail, Sir?"  
  
Prince Zuko looked every bit the thirteen-year-old he was at that moment as he stepped up to the voicepipe with a smile so large it ruined his professional pretense. 

"Helmsman, prepare to depart. Set our course for Gaoling."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINGER GUNS DID YOU SEE THAT COMING YALL?!?!?!
> 
> Gaoling here we COOOOOOOMEEEEEEEEEE
> 
> whew this part was a ride tho like damn it just kept growing but #noregrets and the next part... is... likely to be bigger o//o 
> 
> theres a LOT getting covered come part 6 and a lot to write before i can even break it into chapters oh lordy
> 
> thus im giving myself a deadline of two weeks (ish) expect me on a wednesday. will it be an early (ish) or a late (ish) we shall see we shall see :'3
> 
> in the meantime feel free to hmu on tumblr @redriot or twitter @starofjems ~!~!


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